Mining Law Amendment Law.

According to this Law, the responsibility for exercising government sovereignty over the country's mines and maintaining mineral reserves as well as exports and permitting mining activities stipulated in this law, supervising the mentioned matters and providing opportunities for the development of mining activities, achieving added value of mineral raw materials, developing exports of value-added minerals, creating employment in this sector and increasing the share of mining sector in economic development and social responsibility of the country are with the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade. The Law provides for some amendment in the classification of the minerals and definitions. The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade is nominated for policy making in this sector excluding the oil and nuclear energy related sectors. The Law provides amendments for grant of license for exploration and extraction of minerals, allocation of annual governmental budget, and supervision on operations. The High Council of Mines would be in charge to create unity of procedure and coordination in performing the duties and powers set forth in this law and to protect the rights of the government and holders of mining licenses, as well as to create investment security. The Law provides for compliance of specific forestry and environmental regulations for operation and waste disposal in the protected areas. This Law consists of 36 Articles.