Panama Lauds First Quantum Progress Ahead of Mine Talks (1)

Tensions between Panama and First Quantum Minerals Ltd. are easing, with the two sides aligned on a key starting point for talks to restart copper mining, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said.

That fact that the Canadian company indicated its willingness to move ahead on the understanding that the country will own the minerals is “a huge advance,” Mulino told reporters Thursday. “I receive those comments with optimism,” he said.

The president spoke a day after First Quantum Chief Executive Officer Tristan Pascall told analysts that the company accepts that the Mulino administration would make state ownership of the copper ...