Lithium poppies
Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:25 am
Is a great name for a band! 
But, here we go, a reason for us remaining in Afghanistran?
But, here we go, a reason for us remaining in Afghanistran?
Afghanistan is sitting on mineral resources worth $1 trillion and could become one of the world’s most important mining centres, the Pentagon announced yesterday, as it tried to drum up foreign investment and wean the country off the opium trade.
A Pentagon memo predicted that the country could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium” — a metal that is a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and mobile phones.
The largest deposits have been uncovered in salt lakes in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan, where the Taleban retain a dominant presence. Many of the other mineral deposits are also in Taleban strongholds, presenting the coalition forces and any incoming global mining companies with security headaches.
US and Afghan officials acknowledge that it will take many years to develop a mining industry and in the present security climate international companies are likely to weigh up the risks before launching into an investment programme in a country still politically unstable and suffering from insurgency and corruption.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 149696.ece