The Panamanian government and Canada's First Quantum are close to agreeing a contract to operate a major copper mine, Ebrahim Asvat, a lawyer advising the government on the negotiations, told Reuters on Tuesday.
A deal could be reached in less than two weeks, Aswat said, noting that only three issues remain to be resolved, two of which are in the final stages of negotiations.
Asvat said the third issue was "economic" and involved companies demanding more tax breaks, which would hurt government mine revenues at a time of high production and copper prices.
Still, Mr Aswat said he believed "an agreement is within reach".
The company and the Panamanian government have been locked in a long-running contract dispute, with taxes and royalties at the forefront of the standoff.
In a recent twist, Panama's maritime authority banned cargo operations at a port, forcing the company to halt ore processing operations.
