Far from assuming their responsibility, the corporation established in Cabañas department decided to resort to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), part of the World Bank, to demand El Salvador the payment of 100 million dollars.

It was reported that the corporation demands this money because the authorities of the country denied the company a permit to exploit El Dorado gold mine, which has been severely criticized by the affected population.

Other mining corporations established in El Salvador tried to take advantage of the commitments made in the framework of the DR-CAFTA (Dominican Republic, Central America and US Free Trade Agreement) to pressure the country and get the exploitation permits, according to Colatino newspaper.

Colatino also states that the Canadian embassy is lobbying to favor Pacific Rim, among other things, because the Canadian government is promoting a Free Trade Agreement with Central America, which could benefit extractive industries established in the region.

Social organizations participating in the international forum “Mining Companies in Meso America: Sustainable Development or a Threat to Sovereignty?” held in San Salvador, capital city of the country, analyzed this issue.

“As they are not getting their permits, they want our money. That is extortion”, said the National Coordination Against Metal Mining. They are also denouncing the threats received by journalists who follow the social conflicts caused by mining and talked about what would happen in case the ICSID rules in favor of El Salvador. This would create a promising record for other cases under discussion in this space, which is the favorite of transnational corporations.

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