VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 18, 2008 -- Corriente (Toronto:CTQ.TO - News)(AMEX:ETQ - News) announces that it has been advised by its Quito office that earlier today the Constitutional Assembly of Ecuador passed a new Mining Mandate.

The company has requested an official version of this Mining Mandate and will advise further as to the impact of this Mandate on the company's operations in Ecuador when the company's analysis is completed.

ABOUT CORRIENTE

Corriente is moving towards construction of a starter operation at its Mirador copper-gold operation. Mirador is one of the few new, sizeable copper projects available for near-term production. Corriente controls a 100% interest in over 62,000 hectares located within the Corriente Copper Belt, Ecuador. The Belt currently contains four copper and copper-gold porphyry deposits: Mirador, Mirador Norte, Panantza and San Carlos. Additional exploration activities are ongoing, as six additional copper and copper-gold exploration targets have been identified in the Corriente Copper Belt to date.

Kenneth R. Shannon, CEO

Certain statements contained in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company's plans to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made, and readers are advised to consider such forward-looking statements in light of the risks set forth in the company's continuous disclosure filings as found at www.sedar.com.

Disclosure statements as required by National Instrument 43-101 are available at our website: www.corriente.com.

     Contacts:
     Corriente Resources Inc.
     Mr. Dan Carriere
     Senior Vice-President
     (604) 687-0449
     (604) 687-0827 (FAX)
     Email: copper@corriente.com
     Website: http://www.corriente.com