DANISH SPEAKER RECEIVES MINING MINISTER

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Minister of Mining D.Gankhuyag was received Monday by Mr Mogens Lykketoft, the Speaker of Denmark's Folketing (parliament) qho is paying an official visit until March 6. The Minister thanked Denmark for its assistance to strengthen the democracy, to develop the free media and social sectors, and said the cabinet for reforms is attaching a great importance to the mining sphere. "This sector is a door to the development, therefore Mongolia is paying attention to the manufacturing production," Mr Gankhuyag added. In response, Mr Lykketoft said his country has several cooperation proposals. "We are about to exploit mineral resources in Greenland, a part of Denmark, and to develop the mining, and many large companies and investors want to collaborate in this. Several issues become vital such as protecting the national interest, keeping balanced interests of neighbour countires, environmental rehabilitation and water, when establishing the biggest international contracts," Mr Lykketoft said. He went on that an exploitation of mineral resources needs wide participation of locals, their administrations, international organizations and investors, and said his country has a willingness to study experience of Mongolia in these matters. Mr Gankhuyag said Mongolia's government is adhering to the environmentally-friendly principle and to being mutually beneficial parties in the mining sector. Mongolia is keeping a policy to exploit deposits with already estimated resources, "and we have refined upon the legal environment for the mining activities, and are discussing a new policy," he said. He said the World Bank, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Australia are giving a support to Mongolia in the environment protection and rehabilitation, and that Mongolia wants to cooperate with Denmark in the agriculture and infrastructure sectors. B.Khuder