Uranium firm to consolidate presence in Niger, former Canadian PM says

APA-Niamey (Niger) The former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who headed last weekend a delegation of businessmen from his country to Niger, said the GoviEx-Uranium group’s intention is to consolidate its presence in Niger, where it will operate by 2012 a new uranium mine in the northern part of the country.

Jean Chretien successively met the head of the military junta in Niger General Djibo Salou and the transition Prime Minister Mahamadou Dandah, to whom he reiterated the commitment of GoviEx-Uranium, which he represents, to strengthen its operations in Niger.

The purpose of the meeting, he told reporters, "is to assess, with regime change, the relations between the Group and the transitional leaders in Niger."

“As there have been changes of government, donors in Canada…want to know how the government plans to work with the Group. I found that there is good faith in the attitude of the transitional authorities in Niger,” he said.

The GoviEx Uranium representative said that the authorities in Niamey aim to see the Group continue its work while asking investors to disburse amounts required to do the job.

"Niger is a country where one can invest, I think the country can have a good development position," said Chretien, urging the strengthening of good governance.

A poor country, Niger holds nevertheless much of the world’s uranium deposits which are scattered across the northern part, and are operated primarily by the French group Areva and some US, Canadian and Chinese firms.