www.thefinancialdaily.com  Reko Diq project to roll on, says miner ISLAMABAD: The operator of $3 billion Reko Diq copper/gold project in Balochistan is hopeful the mining venture will go ahead despite a government threat to scrap it. The project is owned by Canada's Barrick Gold and Chilean copper miner Antofagasta.  The two companies are partners in the Tethyan Copper Co (TCC) which has 75 per cent interest in the Reko Diq project in the southwestern province of Balochistan and hold the exploration licence for the site. Balochistan government holds the remaining 25 per cent stake. Tethyan is finishing up a feasibility study into the site, which could yield 11 billion lb (5 billion kg) of copper and 9 million oz (255 million grams) of gold over the 50-60 year project, and aims to apply for a mining licence within weeks. Late last year, the provincial government said it wanted to cancel the project, ostensibly to get control of resources in Pakistan's poorest province where anger over exploitation of gas and minerals is fueling a separatist insurgency.Peter Jezek, Chief Executive Officer of Tethyan Copper Co, said the authorities were worried about getting a fair deal and also wanted to undertake smelting and refining to ensure the maximisation of benefits. But Jezek said anxiety about Pakistan's first world-class mining operation was largely the result of misunderstandings. The cancellation of the project would further damage Pakistan's image as a destination for foreign investment. Pakistan should use foreign partners as tools to transfer technology and jump start the mineral industry, he said. "If we destroy the economic viability of the project nobody is going to benefit. The investment is not going to materialise and this national treasure if going to stay as fine crystals way underground," he said.-Reuters