www.stockhouse.ca 2/19/03

Gold Reserve Inc. (TSX: GLR.A - OTC: GLDR.OB). Gold Reserve reports that the Venezuelan Ministry of Energy and Mines has approved the operating plan for the Brisas gold/copper project. This approval is the result of considerable effort by the Company and has occurred at a time period when the economics of the project have been enhanced by the recent increase in the price of gold and copper. The Company has completed a majority of the required technical work and has already commenced activities with engineering and technical firms to complete the bankable study for project financing. In addition, activities have commenced to obtain the necessary environmental permits and approvals from the Venezuelan Ministry of Environment.

Rockne J. Timm, President and CEO, stated, 'The Company is proceeding with the Brisas 'stand-alone'project primarily due to the recent increase in the price of gold and copper. The last several years have been a time period of depressed commodity prices and we have advanced the project to this stage with minimal shareholder dilution and a strong financial position, allowing the Company to advance the project to the next level. We are extremely excited to move the Brisas project forward at this time. In addition, we do not believe the recent events in Venezuela will have any significant impact to our immediate or mid-term efforts.'

Gold Reserve's Brisas project in southeastern Venezuela contains a current resource of 9.9 million ounces of gold containing proven and probable reserves of 6.67 million ounces of gold and 871 million pounds of copper. The Company has approximately US$12.5 million in cash and no debt and no gold hedging. With 24.3 million shares outstanding, this amounts to 0.27 ounces of gold reserves per share, which is one of the highest in the industry, giving the Company tremendous leverage to a rising gold price. The market currently capitalizes these ore reserves at approximately US$3.70 per ounce in the ground net of cash.

The forward-looking information in this press release addresses future events involving known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from projected results. These risks and uncertainties include those described in the Company's Annual Information Statement filed on SEDAR and the 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR.

Internet - goldreserveinc.com

CONTACT: A. Douglas Belanger, Executive Vice President, 926 W. Sprague, Suite 200, Spokane, WA 99201, Tel. (509) 623-1500, Fax (509) 623-1634

new.stockwatch.com 2003-02-18 15:01 EST - News Release

In VA097, "Vannessa's Las Cristinas court cases advance", transmitted at 14:25e today, an error occurred in fifth paragraph. The phrase "start-up of the Mine occurred after July 15, 2001" should have read "no start-up of the Mine occurred after July 15, 2001". Full corrected copy follows: Vannessa's Las Cristinas court cases advance TSX: VVVOTC-BB: VNVNF Berlin: VVT - WKN 914781

VANCOUVER, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Vannessa Ventures Ltd. (VVV: TSX, OTC-BB: VNVNF, Berlin: VVT - WKN 914781) is pleased to announce that the court action to nullify the cancellation of the Minera Las Cristinas C.A. (MINCA) contract by Venezuela's state-owned Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) is progressing. In addition, MINCA's court proceedings against CVG for contractual non-compliance have been admitted for hearing by the Supreme Court. The case will deal with CVG's actions as a shareholder of MINCA and its obstruction of MINCA's attempts at advancing the project.

MINCA, 95 % owned by Vannessa's wholly owned subsidiary in Venezuela, is the holder of a work contract to develop the Las Cristinas Project and has invested over US$170 million to advance the project to the feasibility stage with a proven gold reserve exceeding 11 million ounces.

In August 2001, CVG advised MINCA of its intent to cancel the contract and refused to follow the arbitration process as agreed to in the CVG/MINCA contract. In November 2001, CVG unilaterally cancelled the MINCA contract and, without any legal court order, engaged military personnel to take possession of the mine and of MINCA's assets.

MINCA filed an action in the Venezuelan Supreme Court asking the court to reverse the CVG cancellation of the Contract and to restore the contract effective to the cancellation date.

This legal action is now proceeding. Last week, CVG made its case for the unilateral cancellation of the contract by alleging MINCA's lack of reporting over a four-semester period and referring to the fact that no start-up of the Mine occurred after July 15, 2001.

MINCA filed its evidence, which included proof that the requested reports were in fact in the possession of CVG when it made its allegations that MINCA had not filed the reports.

MINCA also maintained that it was at no time to blame for lack of development. In 1997, a title dispute between Inversora Mael (a Crystallex subsidiary) and CVG caused mine construction to be suspended until a Supreme Court ruling in 1998 confirmed CVG's rights due to the fact that, among other reasons, Mael had no standing in court to bring forward a title challenge since it never held mining rights to the properties. With the price of gold dropping below US$300, CVG and MINCA agreed to a suspension of construction until July 15, 2002. Furthermore, the parties hired an international investment bank to help find a solution for the impasse; however the bank terminated its involvement citing a complete lack of co-operation by CVG. MINCA also provided written evidence that CVG prohibited its directors from attending MINCA's directors meetings to approve planned project developments and therefore willfully obstructed MINCA from proceeding with its development plans.

Vannessa has also formally notified the Venezuelan Government of its intent to enact international arbitration under the Venezuelan-Canadian Agreement for Promotion and Protection of Investments.

"MANFRED PESCHKE" Manfred Peschke, President VANNESSA VENTURES LTD.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Vannessa Ventures Ltd.

CONTACT: Vannessa Ventures Ltd., 1710-1040 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6E 4H1, Tel: 604-689-8927, Fax: 604-689-8907, E-mail: info@vannessa.com, Website: www.vannessa.com

2003-02-18 14:25 EST - News Release

VANCOUVER, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vannessa Ventures Ltd. (VVV: TSX, OTC-BB: VNVNF, Berlin: VVT - WKN 914781) is pleased to announce that the court action to nullify the cancellation of the Minera Las Cristinas C.A. (MINCA) contract by Venezuela's state-owned Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) is progressing. In addition, MINCA's court proceedings against CVG for contractual non-compliance have been admitted for hearing by the Supreme Court. The case will deal with CVG's actions as a shareholder of MINCA and its obstruction of MINCA's attempts at advancing the project.

MINCA, 95 % owned by Vannessa's wholly owned subsidiary in Venezuela, is the holder of a work contract to develop the Las Cristinas Project and has invested over US$170 million to advance the project to the feasibility stage with a proven gold reserve exceeding 11 million ounces.

In August 2001, CVG advised MINCA of its intent to cancel the contract and refused to follow the arbitration process as agreed to in the CVG/MINCA contract. In November 2001, CVG unilaterally cancelled the MINCA contract and, without any legal court order, engaged military personnel to take possession of the mine and of MINCA's assets.

MINCA filed an action in the Venezuelan Supreme Court asking the court to reverse the CVG cancellation of the Contract and to restore the contract effective to the cancellation date.

This legal action is now proceeding. Last week, CVG made its case for the unilateral cancellation of the contract by alleging MINCA's lack of reporting over a four-semester period and referring to the fact that start-up of the Mine occurred after July 15, 2001. MINCA filed its evidence, which included proof that the requested reports were in fact in the possession of CVG when it made its allegations that MINCA had not filed the reports.

MINCA also maintained that it was at no time to blame for lack of development. In 1997, a title dispute between Inversora Mael (a Crystallex subsidiary) and CVG caused mine construction to be suspended until a Supreme Court ruling in 1998 confirmed CVG's rights due to the fact that, among other reasons, Mael had no standing in court to bring forward a title challenge since it never held mining rights to the properties. With the price of gold dropping below US$300, CVG and MINCA agreed to a suspension of construction until July 15, 2002.

Furthermore, the parties hired an international investment bank to help find a solution for the impasse; however the bank terminated its involvement citing a complete lack of co-operation by CVG. MINCA also provided written evidence that CVG prohibited its directors from attending MINCA's directors meetings to approve planned project developments and therefore willfully obstructed MINCA from proceeding with its development plans.

Vannessa has also formally notified the Venezuelan Government of its intent to enact international arbitration under the Venezuelan-Canadian Agreement for Promotion and Protection of Investments.

"MANFRED PESCHKE" Manfred Peschke, President VANNESSA VENTURES LTD.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Vannessa Ventures Ltd.

CONTACT: Vannessa Ventures Ltd., 1710-1040 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6E 4H1, Tel: 604-689-8927, Fax: 604-689-8907, E-mail: info@vannessa.com, Website: www.vannessa.com

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 10, 2003 - 10:51:37 AM By: Press Releases BW0059  FEB 10,2003       5:02 PACIFIC      08:02 EASTERN ( BW)(ID-HECLA-MINING)(HL)

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho-- Feb. 10, 2003--Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) produced a record amount of gold and silver during 2002 at very low costs of production. Hecla mined 240,000 ounces of gold in 2002. The La Camorra gold mine in Venezuela was Hecla's primary gold producer, contributing 167,000 ounces of gold in 2002. This is the largest annual gold production in the company's 112-year history.

Hecla also produced a record amount of silver, mining approximately 8.7 million ounces during 2002. Silver production came from Hecla's San Sebastian mine, which produced more than 3.4 million ounces, the Greens Creek mine in Alaska, at more than 3.2 million ounces, and the Lucky Friday mine in northern Idaho, producing 2 million ounces of silver. Hecla's news release containing complete operating and financial results for 2002 is scheduled for release tomorrow, February 11.

The company estimates that production in 2003 will be approximately 215,000 ounces of gold and 9 million ounces of silver. Hecla's low-cost profile is expected to be maintained, with total average cash costs in 2003 estimated at $150 per ounce of gold and $2.15 per ounce of silver.

Hecla President and Chief Operating Officer Phillips S. Baker, Jr., said, "2002 was a great year for Hecla. We have some excellent properties that exceeded our expectations for performance and give us a good base for future growth."

EXPLORATION

In addition to an outstanding year operationally, Hecla's exploration programs continue to turn up good results. Baker said, "While more drilling is required, Hecla could have four development/production ramps under construction by year end."

One prospective target is Hecla's Block B project in Venezuela. The Block B lease was acquired by Hecla in September 2002 from the Venezuelan government, and is a seven-square-mile property in an historically rich gold mining district. Hecla is currently focusing on an area adjacent to and below the old Chile mine, which produced more than 550,000 ounces of gold at an average ore grade of more than one ounce of gold per ton. The Chile mine was shut down near the end of World War II due to war events and technical difficulties which are no longer an issue. Hecla began drilling on the property in the fourth quarter of 2002 and initial assays are extremely encouraging. More than 4,000 meters of exploration drilling were completed during the fourth quarter at Block B.

Hecla's drilling program on Block B is aimed at confirming and expanding a resource previously identified by CVG-Minerven, the Venezuelan government-owned mining company. That resource was estimated to have an average grade of about 0.63 ounce of gold per ton. Baker said, "Our preliminary efforts at Block B have confirmed the previously identified resource, and we have decided to proceed with a feasibility study and further drilling to expand the resource into a mineable property. The timetable for Block B, if all goes well, could be to have it in commercial production in about 24 to 30 months. This new mine would greatly supplement our gold production in Venezuela."

Exploration work also continues on the Betzy vein at Hecla's La Camorra gold mine in Venezuela, about 70 miles south of the Block B property. La Camorra produced 167,000 ounces of gold for Hecla in 2002, and continues to be the company's largest revenue producer. Underground drilling between the -425 and -500 meter elevation levels on the Betzy vein has increased the estimated strike length on the east flank of the Betzy ore shoot from 150 meters to over 200 meters, into an area previously thought to be waste. "These encouraging high-grade results could lead to an expanded life for the mine," said Baker. "La Camorra is a narrow vein, underground hardrock mine, which is exactly Hecla's area of expertise. We have been able to replace the reserves that we've mined in the past, and these results from our latest exploration efforts indicate that we should be able to continue to find reserves at a deeper level."

Recent drilling on the Betzy vein returned assay results including 1 ounce of gold per ton over 2.6 meters, 0.76 ounce of gold per ton over 2 meters and 3.27 ounces of gold per ton over 2 meters.

Hecla has also been focusing attention on the Canaima property, located 9 kilometers northeast of the main La Camorra mine in Venezuela, where an inferred resource of 400,000 tons at a grade of  0.55 ounce of gold per ton was earlier identified based on drilling by Monarch Resources. Hecla is conducting a combination of hydrologic and geotechnical studies, as well as a drilling program to confirm the previous resource information. Initial drilling results have confirmed and possibly upgraded the original multi-vein resource estimate. (see table)

*T                                   Horizontal     Gold  Hole            From       To      Width        Assay Number         (meters)  (meters)  (meters) (grams/tonne)  Vein

SC-56            50.65     52.06     1.44        12.45      HW1 SC-56           124.30    125.70     1.31        79.93       MU SC-56           131.77    137.83     6.36        56.81       ML SC-57            77.60     78.45     0.77        42.66      HW2 SC-57           116.70    119.65     2.77         2.38       MU SC-57           127.12    130.50     2.82       138.50       ML SC-58           147.74    156.94     7.58        17.62       MU SC-58           162.90    169.10     5.69        24.12       ML                 SC-59        lost hole SC-60            76.50     80.35     3.15        13.18      HW1 SC-60           154.50    155.05     0.47         1.04       MU SC-60           160.25    161.60     1.37         9.26       ML *T

Baker said, "We are very pleased with the high-grade results at Canaima, with assays coming in even better than expected. A feasibility study for Canaima is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year. This property could very well be the next addition to our Venezuelan production within the next 18 to 24 months."

Baker also said, "Due to excellent exploration results on several fronts, Hecla increased its exploration expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2002 to nearly $3 million. As progress warrants, we could easily see continuing to make those kinds of expenditures throughout 2003. With this significantly increased exploration program, our intent over the next couple of years is to not only replace ore we have mined out during the year, but also to increase reserves and expand Hecla's production capacity."

In Mexico, an aggressive drilling program during the fourth quarter on the Don Sergio vein on the Cerro Pedernalillo project sets the stage for the 2003 drilling program and feasibility study for ramp development. Cerro Pedernalillo is located about 6 kilometers south of Hecla's San Sebastian silver mine. Baker said, "This whole area holds tremendous promise for future discovery. We have a lot of ground to cover, but hope to discover additional mineable resources here."

Hecla Mining Company, headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, mines and processes silver and gold in the United States, Venezuela and Mexico. A 112-year-old company, Hecla has long been well known in the mining world and financial markets as a quality silver and gold producer. Hecla's common and preferred shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols HL and HL-PrB.

Statements made which are not historical facts, such as anticipated payments, litigation outcome, production, sales of assets, exploration results and plans, costs, prices or sales performance are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility, volatility of metals production, exploration risks and results, project development risks and ability to raise financing. Refer to the company's Form 10-Q and 10-K reports for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The company undertakes no obligation and has no intention of updating forward-looking statements.

Cautionary Note to Investors -- The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms in this news release, such as "resource" and "inferred resources," that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in our filing with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form S-1, File No. 333-100395. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

CONTACT: Hecla Mining Company, Coeur d'Alene              Vicki J. Veltkamp, 208/769-4144              www.hecla-mining.com

www.petroleumnewsalaska.com Alaska's Source for Oil and Gas News February 2003

Vol. 8, No. 5 Week of February 02, 2003

Global mining survey indicates downslide in industry’s view of Alaska for exploration investment, despite anticipated increase in 2003 work

Patricia Jones PNA Contributing Writer

Attitudes about Alaska’s mining opportunities took a downturn in the latest survey of worldwide mining companies, although the actual industry environment has improved in the last year.

That’s according to Curt Freeman, president and CEO of Avalon Development Corp., a Fairbanks-based consulting geological firm that conducts mineral exploratory work throughout the state.

He presented an analysis of the state’s mining industry and expectations for 2003 to the Fairbanks branch of the Alaska Miners Association Jan. 24.

In his presentation, he discussed discouraging results from an annual survey of mining companies conducted by the Fraser Institute, an economic think tank based in Vancouver, B.C.

“The attitude about Alaska slid significantly,” Freeman said. “Places like Russia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Peru are perceived to be better places to work than Alaska.”

Alaska’s ranking in the 2002 survey of investment attractiveness was 15th out of 47 states, Canadian provinces and countries included in the study. In 2001, Alaska ranked seventh in the survey, Freeman said.

“Now we are competing worldwide for investment dollars, whether we like it or not,” Freeman said.

The survey represents responses from 158 junior and senior exploration and mining companies, responsible for $738 million in global exploration expenditures in 2001, according to the Fraser Institute. Those companies rated the policy attractiveness and mineral attractiveness of mining jurisdictions in North America and internationally.

Freeman said the downturn in Alaska’s ranking should concern the state’s mining industry and also politicians, who can affect policies governing the industry.

“Perception is reality,” he said. “But nothing changed in the last year.”

In fact, he anticipates an increase in exploratory work throughout Alaska in 2003, thanks to an increase in metal prices, last year’s successful exploration work at the Donlin Creek deposit in southwest Alaska and a pro-development administration both on a state and federal level.

“The planets are aligned in a way we couldn’t have even dreamed of two years ago,” he said. “It’s time our industry gets to address these concerns with the new administration.”

Poor policy perceptions In the Fraser Institute’s survey, Alaska’s ranking dropped in 2002 because of a lower evaluation regarding the state’s policy potential index.

It measures the effects on exploration from taxation, environmental regulations, administration and duplication of regulations, uncertainty concerning Native land claims and protected areas, labor issues, infrastructure, socioeconomic agreements and political stability.

In the 2002 survey, Alaska’s policy potential scored 50 points out of a possible 100, for a ranking of 23rd out of the 47 mining jurisdictions.

“It’s the regulatory and land use policy perceptions that are killing us,” Freeman said. “Alaska would be ranked number three out of 47 if land use and regulatory policies are ignored.

“This is the reality for people who put money into the state.”

He noted that four out of 10 companies surveyed said that they are strongly deterred from investing in Alaska’s mineral industry because of the state’s environmental policies, the state’s land status and the lack of infrastructure.

Furthermore, one-quarter of the survey respondents said regulatory uncertainty and regulatory duplication were strong deterrents to mining exploration investment in Alaska.

“Policies do need improvement — streamlining and brought up to the 21st century,” Freeman said. “Everyone knows they have to live with regulations, but they could be more efficient.”

Alaska’s mineral potential great Alaska is proven elephant country, Freeman said, meaning that mineral prospectors can realistically hope to discover large deposits in the highly under-explored state.

“The gold discovery rate in Alaska is phenomenal,” he said.

Currently, exploration companies have identified in Alaska 77.7 million ounces of gold located in underground deposits.

“Twenty years ago, that number was almost zero,” Freeman said. “We reached critical mass in 1996.”

An industry benchmark for discovery costs by mining companies is about $20 per ounce of gold, Freeman said. “Alaska’s average is $4.55 … the cost per ounce is very favorable.”

That average was greatly improved thanks to successful exploration work at the Donlin Creek deposit in southwest Alaska. After two years of exploration at Donlin Creek and roughly $10 million in exploration spending, NovaGold Resources Inc. identified 27.8 million ounces of gold in the host rock.

“There’s a lot more acres around Donlin Creek, and more ounces to be found,” Freeman said.

In the survey’s mineral potential index, which rates a region’s attractiveness based on mining company executives’ perceptions of geology, Alaska’s ranking improved to 15th out of 47. But that ranking is lower than the prior year’s, Freeman said. “Even though we’ve created more potential here, the changed perception is that you can’t do business here.”

Case study in progress Alaska has an opportunity to prove to the mining industry that it is open for business, Freeman said, with the Pogo gold project that is currently in the permitting stage.

“This is a barometer for what you can do in Alaska,” Freeman said. “With the access road and permitting an underground mine, people within the mining industry are watching this very closely.”

Teck Resources is developing the 5.5 million ounce gold deposit about 35 miles northeast of Delta Junction. The company is still waiting for a draft environmental impact statement from regulators, which was expected to be released in January.

“The perceived opinion is that the regulatory process is slowing this down, a purposeful roadblock by state and federal agencies,” Freeman said. “I don’t think it’s true, but it’s difficult to get that across to other mining companies looking at Alaska.”