ACUERDOS Law 25.939 Approve the Agreement on Mining Cooperation signed in Caracas on 12 July 2000 with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Development of programmes of Scientific-Technical and Action Cooperation. Dispute settlement. Sanctioned: September 22, 2004 Cast: October 18, 2004

The Senate and Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation assembled in Congress, etc. sanction with force of Law:

ARTICLE 1o . Approveba el ACUERDO sobre COOPERATION MINERA ENTRE LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA y la REPUBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA, subscribed in Caracas .REPUBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA. el 12 de julio de 2000, que consta de TRECE (13) artículos, cuya fotocopia autenticada ARTICLE 2or . Contact the national executive branch.

IN THE SESSION OF THE ARGENTINE CONGRESS, IN GOOD AIRES, TO THE SEPTEMBER OF THE YEAR DOS MIL CUATRO.

_

EDUARDO O. CHANGE. A. GUINLE. . Eduardo D. Rollano. . Juan J. Canals.

MINERA COOPERATION AGREEMENT

ENTRE

THE ARGENTINA REPUBLIC

and

THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

The Argentine Republic and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela henceforth referred to as "the Parties", with the aim of consolidating the links between the two countries and in order to support and intensify economic cooperation, and

Considering the need to strengthen the integration process in Latin America, aimed at promoting the social, harmonious and balanced economic development of the region,

Bearing in mind the coincidence between the two countries in favour of deepening economic cooperation and cooperation mechanisms and the firm conviction that regional integration will benefit the development of peoples,

Acknowledging that a mining agreement will be useful and of the interest of both Parties, allowing the potential for technical and scientific-technological cooperation and exchange of the sector to be expanded within a framework of regional integration,

Agree to the following:

FIRST ARTICLE

The Parties agree to encourage the development of specific programmes and projects for cooperation in the areas of metallic, non-metallic, application rocks and metallurgical concentrates in both the basic and applied research sector, aimed at promoting innovation and the development of new products, as well as for the implementation of production and marketing.

For the purposes of the implementation of this Agreement, it is understood that:

1.- Program, to the set of projects through which the mining cooperation and integration is implemented;

2.- Project, to the set of interrelated and coordinated activities in order to achieve specific objectives.

SECOND ARTICLE

In this regard, the Parties agree to launch a Programme of Scientific-Technical Cooperation, between the Undersecretariat for Mining of the Argentine Republic and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to promote the development of projects related to mining in both countries.

THIRD ARTICLE

The Parties undertake to establish a Programme of Action to materialize and supplement, as appropriate, the provisions of the preceding articles.

ARTICLE 4

The Programme of Action referred to in the preceding article will refer to aspects related to:

(a) The legal framework for sector investments,

(b) The study and investigation of legislative advances in comparative law,

(c) Development of more efficient institutional capacity,

(d) Implementation of an environmental-mining protection system,

(e) Exchange of information on mining-environmental legislation and regulations and mining health and safety.

(f) Exchange of information on support services, especially in infrastructure, geological knowledge, research and technology, and,

(g) Implementation of an appropriate information system.

QUINTO

The activities envisaged in the Programme of Action will include the following forms of cooperation:

(a) Mutual assistance for the training and training of scientific and technical personnel,

(b) exchange of experts,

(c) exchange of professional specialists for courses and seminars,

(d) Scholarships,

(e) Mutual consultations on legal, scientific and technological issues,

(f) Training of joint working groups for legal, scientific and technological research studies and projects;

(g) Transfer of environmental technology linked to mining,

(h) the other forms of cooperation agreed upon by the Parties.

SEXTO

In order to complement the collaboration provided for in this Agreement, the competent bodies designated by each Party shall conclude implementation agreements establishing the specific conditions and modalities of cooperation, including the conduct of joint technical meetings for the study and evaluation of projects.

In addition, the competent agencies of each Party may establish joint commissions aimed at the technical conduct of agreed projects and programmes.

SEPTIMO

Each Party shall grant all the necessary facilities for the entry, stay and departure of the participants who are formally involved in the mining cooperation projects under this heading. These participants shall be subject to the existing national provisions of the host country and may not engage in any activity other than their functions.

OCTAVO

The results of the cooperation will be shared by both Parties and will be issued jointly with their mutual agreement. Any patent obtained by cooperation shall be shared by both Parties. If one of the Parties intends to publish or transfer, independently, the results of cooperation to a third country, it must obtain prior consent from the other art.

Ninth article

The Parties undertake to cooperate with each other in the development of joint projects to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement, facilitating, as far as possible, the collaboration of other public or private institutions or agencies of the respective countries.

DECIMO

For the implementation of joint projects, in each case, the Parties shall agree on financing, in accordance with their respective availability of resources and the possibility of obtaining funding from international agencies.

DECIMOPRIMERO

CONTROVERSAL SOLUTION

Any modification to the text of the Agreement or difference derived from its interpretation or application shall be decided by the Parties in common agreement.

DECIMOSEGUND

This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the last notification in which the Parties communicate compliance with their domestic formal requirements.

DECIMOTERCERO

This Agreement shall have an indefinite duration. The Party wishing to dismiss shall communicate its complaint, by diplomatic means, to the other Party, with sixty (60) days in advance, without prejudice to the fulfilment of the commitments made during the validity of the Party.

HECHO in Caracas, Venezuela, on the 12th day of the month of July of two thousand, in two original copies in Spanish, being both equally authentic texts.