Tahoe aims to resolve deadlock at Guatemala mine

Canadian miner Tahoe Resources had been hoping for a rapid solution to a dispute with the indigenous Xinca people that has frozen operations for more than a year at its Minera San Rafael unit -- the world's second largest silver mine.

But the Xincas have a very different view -- one that is supported, with reservations, by Guatemala's Costitutional Court -- and, with time on their side, they appear to be in no need to hurry.

Tahoe, however, has new allies for a legal counter-offensive in a bid to resolve the dispute. The company's suppliers and leading academic institutions are now calling on the national government to ensure that the miners can get back to work without causing offense to the Xincas.