Cabinet Chief Jorge Del Castillo walked out on a roundtable discussion yesterday with community representatives in Piura department. The meeting was intended to resolve conflicts between local residents and the Majaz mining company. Residents accuse Majaz of fraud, illegally appropriating community land and damaging the environment.
Del Castillo abruptly suspended the meeting after representatives from the Front for Sustainable Development for the Northern Border insisted on last minute changes to the agenda. ¨They were trying to name a new facilitator and proposing new topics that weren’t viable¨ said Del Castillo. One of the new topics was a September 16 community study on the Chinchipe river basin and the legality of Majaz operations. ¨There needs to be a consensus for the agenda, and on this point we are in disagreement,¨ Del Castillo said.
Ayabaca mayor and roundtable participant, Humberto Marchena, told Peruvian media the report is a community expression and should be included, even though it is not binding to the negotiations. ¨The Cabinet Chief, Jorge Del Castillo, must understand that the study is important to the community, it should be considered a verdict of Ayabaca.¨
