We like smell of ink and noise of printing machines: with every press run our Copper story is getting stronger.
We always search for clues in corporate takeovers - what is really going on. Here we have at least "thank you" and respect to Mr Ambrose, in high voltage charged Lithium market place of our Next Big Thing Canada Lithium CLQ.v CEO Jude Baker was just "terminated" leaving a lot of questions open. It is important that corporate fights and developments are happening in companies where the money is flowing now and near term catalyst in value perception is taking place. In February Minera Andes MAI.to was trading below 0.4CAD and now it is almost at the level of 1.0CAD - at this price Mr Gold Corp - Robert McEwen paid for a stake to overtake the company. Robert McEwen now is overtaking management as well as an interim President and CEO of the company. It means that he is not happy with Mr Ambrose as CEO any more and can not even wait until a new CEO is found. On another hand company is important enough to put his name down as CEO and roll up the sleeves. For us it is all signs of a Hot Winter in Argentina this year. Xstrata is considering its option to develop further Los Azules, Copper is holding above 2.1USD/lb and NPV of Los Azules is at 1 billion USD at this level of copper prices.
At recent AGM Los Azules was one of the major value points:
"Mr. McEwen and president/CEO Allen Ambrose will be hosting a presentation to attendees at 2:00pm, just following the formal AGM. We hope you will be able to join us! Minera Andes has great growth potential in Argentina. The company's San Jose silver/gold mine is increasing production and expanding its reserves & resources; the company's Los Azules copper deposit is being considered for further development by world copper producer Xstrata; and the company has announced drill programs on 100% owned silver/gold projects near its producing mine. With elevated prices in gold, silver and copper, we look forward to showing why Minera Andes Inc. is a strong company with a bright future."
We should say "thank you" to outgoing CEO Allen Ambrose on our part: for development of Los Azules, for bringing in Lukas Lundin and Robert McEwen, for our ride with him from 0.4CAD level in 2004 to over 2.0CAD in 2007, for not buying out TNR Gold TNR.v during the recent crisis at some kind of rock bottom management desperation valuation of 0.1CAD. This last part of our personal sincere "thank you", could be one of the reason for his departure now: Los Azules is the big game play and he did not manage to identify and pursue the side of play with Xstrata and TNR Gold. We understood that Robert McEwen get a surprise that somebody is claiming 12.5% (25% back in into Northern part 50% of total deposit) effectively from deposit in back in claims. Only in last year annual report and all financial filing from this year Minera Andes has acknowledged the existence of claims. Should we say "material change" to previously disclosed information? You can not finance the project of 1.3 billion USD with legal dispute ongoing on part of it in our opinion. Price to pay this winter to solve the problem was max 20 million USD. To make things more complecated 43-101 has been calculated using for mining facilities part of Escorpio IV, which TNR Gold claims to be its property. Terrain in Los Azules does not allow to shuffle mining operations around easily - one more point missed by previous management in Minera Andes. We have understood that at recent PDAC in Toronto Robert McEwen has been briefed on all situation by TNR Gold, when Mr Ambrose was still in charge and according to our sources was "hardly available for any discussions". Now Xstrata is deciding whether to back in for 51% or not, those 12.5% of TNR Gold's deposit could be very handy for Robert McEwen camp should Junior win the case. We can not blame Mr Ambrose - at the time copper was still below 1.7 USD/lb and TNR Gold did not rolled out its Lithium and REE strategic move. It will be interesting to monitor now how Robert McEwen will move the situation forward. Next important step is Xstrata's decision on back in of 51% of the project and then TNR Gold's actions within its lawsuit. Recent developments in TNR Gold's boardroom give us some clues that company has sufficient corporate, technical and financial back up to sit in boardrooms and do the talking for the maximum value of its properties, it is not any more 20 million quick fix in the game of big guys.
"SPOKANE, WA, June 18 /CNW/ - Minera Andes Inc. (the "Corporation" or "Minera Andes") (TSX: MAI and US OTC: MNEAF) announces that following the Corporation's annual general and special meeting today, Mr. Robert R. McEwen has been appointed interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation effective immediately, replacing Mr. Allen Ambrose. Mr. Ambrose was re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
Minera Andes would like to thank Mr. Ambrose, a founder of the Corporation, for his dedication and service to the Corporation. Under Mr. Ambrose's stewardship, Minera Andes grew from a junior exploration company to a company with exploration success in Argentina and a significant interest in a producing mine.
Minera Andes is a gold, silver and copper exploration company working in Argentina. The Company holds approximately 304,000 acres of mineral exploration land in Argentina. The producing San José silver/gold mine is 49% owned by Minera Andes through a joint venture. Minera Andes is also exploring the Los Azules copper project in San Juan province, where an exploration program has defined a resource and a scoping study has been completed. Other exploration properties, primarily silver and gold, are being evaluated in southern Argentina. The Corporation presently has 230,538,851 shares issued and outstanding."
Minera Andes would like to thank Mr. Ambrose, a founder of the Corporation, for his dedication and service to the Corporation. Under Mr. Ambrose's stewardship, Minera Andes grew from a junior exploration company to a company with exploration success in Argentina and a significant interest in a producing mine.
Minera Andes is a gold, silver and copper exploration company working in Argentina. The Company holds approximately 304,000 acres of mineral exploration land in Argentina. The producing San José silver/gold mine is 49% owned by Minera Andes through a joint venture. Minera Andes is also exploring the Los Azules copper project in San Juan province, where an exploration program has defined a resource and a scoping study has been completed. Other exploration properties, primarily silver and gold, are being evaluated in southern Argentina. The Corporation presently has 230,538,851 shares issued and outstanding."
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