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TSX Venture Exchange
Trading Symbol: ARC
VANCOUVER, April 1, 2014 /CNW/ - Arian Resources
Corp. ("Arian" or "Company") - ARC: TSX-V.
Mr. Zahir (Zip) Dhanani, CEO and Chairman
of Arian, is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition
of the past producing, high-grade Perlat copper-gold-silver-cobalt
mine in Albania, through the
acquisition of all of the shares of Balkan Resources Inc., which
owns the mine.
The TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing
a share purchase agreement dated March 25,
2014, between Balkan Resources Inc. (BRC), Balkan Resources
Sh.p.k. (BRS) and the Company, whereby the Company has acquired the
issued and outstanding shares of BRS that owns the Perlat
exploitation permit that is located in Albania.
Consideration is $4-million, of which $2-million is payable on June 30, 2015 and another $2-million payable on December 30, 2016.
In addition, five million common shares have
been issued to Balkan as part of the closing. The company
must expend a total of $13,218,400 in
exploration expenses over a three-year period.
On the date that a concentrate emanating from
the Perlat exploitation license has been accepted by a smelter, the
Company will make a cash payment of $2-million to BRC and will have the option to
either pay BRC a further $3-million
or issue three million common shares, subject to further exchange
review and acceptance. If a concentrate from the license has not
been accepted by a smelter by Dec. 31,
2018, then the Company will make a cash payment of
$2-million.
Upon commercial production Balkan will receive a
2.5% Net Smelter Return for the duration of the life of the
mine.
Zahir Dhanani,
Chief Executive Officer of Arian, comments: "Having acquired a high
grade copper-gold project with a substantial historic resource and,
having raised an initial round of capital to begin the work
required to put the project back into production, Arian has begun
the process that we believe will create substantial shareholder
value going forward."
A detailed description of the exploration
results and mining history of the Perlat deposit is contained in
the Company's January 30, 2014 news
release. In summary, the 200 hectare Perlat exploitation
permit contains a significant, high grade historic resource. The
project is permitted for mining for 21 years, with a 25 year
renewal option.
Contained within the easily accessed and well
serviced Perlat permit is the past producing Perlat copper-cobalt
mine which is one of eleven volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS)
deposits mined from a linear trend within the Mirditë and Pukë
Districts.
Extensive drilling on the project totalling
165,213 meters commenced in 1975 by the Albanian Geological Service
and the Albanian state run Rubik Geological Enterprise. At
the time the exploration focus was copper and cobalt but more
recent work has identified significant gold and zinc credits.
The VMS mineralization at Perlat is of the
Cyprus-type and consists of small
massive sulphide lenses and disseminated sulphides in altered
volcanic rocks comprise a number of zones which vary from 4 to 20
metres in thickness. The dominant sulphide minerals are
pyrite and chalcopyrite with minor sphalerite and marcasite.
The mineralization lies on a north-northeast trend extending for
over 2 kilometres.
Mining commenced on the northern portion of the
Perlat deposit in 1979 and continued until 1991 at the time of the
collapse of communism in Albania
and of low copper prices. The mine, which includes two shafts
on the northern portion of the deposit and an exploration shaft and
drive on the southern portion of the deposit, was decommissioned in
1997.
To support the mine operations extensive
underground development was undertaken. Though production
statistics are not available, nine mineralized lenses were mined by
sub-level caving. Lower grade ore from the mine was sent to
mills at either Kurnesh or Rreshen whilst high grade ore was sent
directly to a smelter in Rubik.
The Rubik Geological Enterprise has presented
historic Mineral Resources for portions of the Perlat Deposit in
1979, 1983, 1986 and most recently in 1993. These historic
Mineral Resources were classified under the Russian "reserve"
classification system into Categories A, B, C1 and
C2 in order of decreasing confidence where:
- Category A means reserves are known in detail (usually defined
by underground workings);
- Category B includes reserves outlined by exploratory workings
and/or closely spaced drilling;
- Category C1 includes reserves defined at the project
by a drilling grid of 50m by 45m; and
- Category C2 refers to less well defined reserves
indicated by geological and/or geophysical information
confirmed by drill holes at spacing between 50m x 45m and
100m x 60m.
A qualified person has not done sufficient work
to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources,
the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current
mineral resources
In 1986 undiluted geological "reserves" of
Category B+C1 (likely equivalent to Indicated to
Inferred Resourced by modern definition standards) totalling
2,565,155t grading 2.202% Cu and "reserves" of Category
C2 (likely equivalent to Inferred Resources by
modern definition standards) totalling 1,186417t grading 1.779%
Cu were estimated at a cut off of 0.7% Cu. An unknown
amount of this was mined in the following 5 years to when the mine
was closed in 1991.
Between 1986 and 1992 additional drilling was
conducted in the southern and central portions of the Perlat
Deposit. This work resulted in additional Category
C1 "reserves" totalling 635,746t at a grade of 3.491%
Cu and Category C2 "reserves" totalling 344,044t
at a grade of 2.845% Cu were estimated (undiluted geological
"reserves" at a 0.7% Cu cut-off). These resources in the
southern portion of the Perlat Deposit were never mined.
After acquiring the property in 2006 Balkan
Resources Inc. drilled 18 holes totalling over 5,000 metres.
Hole P-32-2008 confirmed the previous results of the mineralization
in the northern portion of the Perlat Deposit. From a
depth of 316.1m, a 7.02m zone of mineralization was intersected
which contained 7.33% copper, 6.31 g/t gold 31.46 g/t silver and
0.16% zinc.
Chad Ulansky,
PGeo, is the qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 who
has reviewed the technical disclosure in this news release and is
responsible for the technical information contained in this
release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Zahir Dhanani,
President
About Arian Resources Corp.
Arian Resources Corp. is a junior exploration
company with a focus on the exploration of prospective mineral
properties in Albania.
This news release may contain forward-looking
statements including but not limited to comments regarding the
closing the transactions contemplated by the Acquisition.
Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and
therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results
may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such
statements and Arian undertakes no obligation to update such
statements, except as required by law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Arian Resources Corp.