PANAMA CITY - Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo announced a ban on new metal mining concessions, but maintained a contract with a Canadian company that has sparked massive protests in the country.
In a televised address, the president said the government had issued a decree "declaring a ban on granting new metallic mineral concessions throughout the country."
Cortizo made no mention of the controversial contract with First Quantum Minerals, the Vancouver-based company whose Caribbean copper mine sparked demonstrations over potential environmental impacts and in which protesters have clashed with police.
"All new metal mining applications and also those that are currently in process will be rejected outright," the president said, adding that "this ban will be effective as of today."
Cortizo, who signed the decree before television cameras, said he made this decision "taking into account the different positions of society in relation to the issue of mining."
But his announcement did little to quell tempers at a protest by thousands of people that was taking place in the financial center of the capital even as he spoke.
Thousands of Panamanians marched to demand that the contract with the Canadian company, which operates the largest copper mine in Central America, be repealed.
The demonstrations began a week ago and have drawn thousands of people, an unusual occurrence in this country of 4.2 million inhabitants.