Panama president says moving toward reopening contested mine [Video]

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday that his government was working toward the reopening of Central America’s biggest copper mine, despite fierce opposition from environmentalists.

Mulino said the open-pit mine, which was operated by a subsidiary of Canada’s First Quantum Minerals until its closure by the courts in 2023, would be a “Panamanian operation.”

Mulino wants to restart the Cobre Panama mine, located near the Caribbean coast, to boost the Panamanian economy, though he did not clarify how he plans to overcome legal obstacles.

“The necessary contacts have begun to be established,” Mulino said at his weekly news conference.

“The mine belongs to Panama,” he said, adding that the Central American nation would run it helped by “an operator in charge of the technical aspects.”

“It will be a Panamanian operation, not a contract with anyone else,” he added.

The reopening would be done “within the law,” and “based …