UPDATE 2-Greek court rules Eldorado Gold can resume mining in northern Greece

(Adds comment by Eldorado's executive)
ATHENS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Canada's Eldorado Gold ELD.TO
can temporarily resume mining operations in northern Greece
until a final court ruling is made, Greece's top administrative
court said on Friday.
Eldorado had appealed to Greece's top court to overturn a
ban on its plans to develop a gold mine in a forested area of
northern Greece, in a case widely seen as a test of the leftist
government's approach to foreign investment.
The Vancouver-based gold miner's ELD.TO venture to extract
gold and other ores on the verdant Halkidiki peninsula is seen
as one of the top investments in a country racked by a debt
crisis since the end of 2009.
The court cancelled on Friday an energy ministry decision
that halted operations in Halkidiki until a final ruling is made
later in October, favouring an appeal by workers at the mining
company.
The company said after the ruling that it planned to resume
operations and call its workers back to work.
"As soon as we are officially notified of this court ruling
we will bring our workers back to work," Eldorado's country
manager for Greece, Eduardo Moura, told Reuters.
Eldorado has put in more than $600 million since 2012 and
plans to invest another $1 billion in its quest for gold, copper
and zinc in the region.
But after Greece's left-wing government revoked its permit
in August, citing environmental grounds, Eldorado suspended all
its activities at the mine and made two thirds of its 1,300
workers temporarily redundant.
"The court weighed the loss claimed by the workers against
the argument of the state and overturned the decision of the
energy minister," a court official said.
"For the 867 workers of 'Hellenic Gold' the court ruled that
the minister's decision would have caused them substantial
losses as they would be made redundant or lose their jobs."
Some 500 workers demonstrated on Friday in support of the
company's appeal outside the Council of State, Greece's highest
administrative court, some carrying a banner that proclaimed:
"No future without the ores". ID:nL5N1221HU