After recent developments in Cajamarca regarding the strike against the Conga mining project, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers called for a dialogue [es] on Saturday, December 3, as a reaction to the ultimatum given by the representative of the Environment Defense Front, Wilfredo Saavedra Marreros, that left the government three days to declare the project Conga non-viable [es]. This dialogue was accepted [es] by the leadership and on Sunday, December 4, the negotiations started [es]. However, both sides kept their positions [es] unchanged: the infeasibility of the Conga Project defended by the representatives of the Defense Front, and the end of the strike pushed by the government. Finally, after nine hours of conversation, the day ended [es] with no agreement, thus the strike, that at the time of writing this post had been going on for over 10 days, continued. Afterwards, as it was previously [es] hinted, President Humala declared [es] a state of emergency in four provinces of Cajamarca: Celendin, Hualgayoc, Contumaza and Cajamarca. This practically kills the strike. According to the Prime Minister the decision was taken [es] as a precaution before the 72 hours of the ultimatum were reached. According [es] to the Peruvian constitution, the State of Emergency “can restrict or suspend the exercise of the constitutional rights regarding freedom and personal security, the protection to avoid home trespassing, and the freedom to assemble and transit across the country.” Speaking on this matter, Luis Alberto Chavez in his blog Polithika doesn't think [es] that the state of emergency means the conflict is being militarized: Sólo en condiciones de paz social, es posible estudiar la viabilidad del proyecto minero Conga que tiene un cuestionado Estudio de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) aprobado en el gobierno anterior. El país necesita la inversión privada, pero no a costa de impactar negativamente de manera irreversible en el medioambiente. Corresponde, en consecuencia, revisar el EIA y hacer nuevos estudios. […] El Estado de Emergencia genera, de todos modos, una situación de tensión que requiere un alto sentido de responsabilidad de parte tanto de las fuerzas del gobierno como de los agitadores sociales para que no se desborden las pasiones. Por el bien del país, nadie espera que hablen las balas. Only in social peaceful conditions is it possible to study the viability of the Conga mining project that has a questionable Study of Environment Impact (EIA) approved by the former government. The country needs private investment, but not by negatively and irreversibly impacting the environment. It is therefore right to review the EIA and do more studies. […] The State of Emergency generates, in every scenario, a tense situation that requires a high sense of responsibility from the government forces as well as the social agitators so passions don't take over. For the sake of the country, nobody wants bullet talk. But, as expected, the Environmental Defense Front of Cajamarca's blog has a contrary position and states [es] that “President Humala Tasso has decided to execute his true government program: neoliberal continuity”: Con la decisión del gobierno de la “concertación nacional” se ha cerrado la ya escasa expectativa que mucha gente tenía todavía de ver algún “cambio”. La derecha pidió represión y el gobierno le entregó en bandeja de plata. […] Pero el pueblo de Cajamarca, esa gran mayoría, está salvando la dignidad de su historia de grandes luchas democráticas y patrióticas, con sus dirigentes populares al frente. Con toda seguridad, la lucha puede sufrir un obstáculo en el camino, pero no la derrota de los que bajan la cerviz frente a los poderosos. ¡ Democracia sí, dictadura no ! ¡Viva el pueblo de Cajamarca, abajo el estado de emergencia y los traidores! With the government's decision of “national consultation” the slim expectation that many people still had that they would see some “change” has faded. The right wing asked for repression and the government handed it on a silver platter. […] But the people of Cajamarca, the masses, has saved the dignity of their history of long democratic and patriotic struggles, with their leaders at the front. It's certain, that the fight might suffer an obstacle on the road, but not the defeat on the hands of those who vow to the powerful.