mining

Congolese mining industry analyst Jean-Pierre Okenda said some oversight of the deal would be wise, suggesting parliament and civil society should also be consulted if it was going to serve the interests of the people.

Meanwhile, despite Ukraine's acceptance of a time-limited truce if Russia plays its part, there is still no sign of the mineral rights deal which would give the US a share of future Ukrainian mining revenues.

In the rural tranquillity of central Ukraine, this man-made canyon is the by-product of 61 years of mining.

"I understand very well the American strategic interest in the minerals, but when it comes to mining in Greenland, they have shown no interest," he says.

But conservatives have argued that public lands should remain open to oil drilling and coal mining, among other uses.