Mayor prefers gold to place on UN World Heritage List

Mining project in Romanian town attracts widespread criticism

ROSIA MONTANA, Romania - It's a rare day when a mayor balks at proposals that his town be entered on the World Heritage List next to such illustrious sites as the Taj Mahal.

But Mayor Eugen Furdui of Rosia Montana - a picturesque Carpathian mountain town with rich gold deposits and ancient galleries that tell the story of mining back to Roman times - is adamant.