Maakhir, Did you miss the Fed. Gov. letter giving their approval of the Puntland/Consort agreement? And why do you call it "Secret negotiations" and that they do not have the "legal means to conduct business"? I suggest you read the offical letter below.

Can anyone verify if this news article is correct or just dis/mis information? http://www.laasqoray.net/article.php?articleid=70 Somalia: Armed Clash over Natural Resources Posted to the Web Mar 22, 15:56 Bossaso: At least 9 people have been confirmed to be killed and 12 wounded on Monday over the control of a two strategic villages , 40 km west of Bossaso. The incident was set off after the governor of Puntland sent a militia loyal his clan for the control of the two places, Majihaan and Dhanaan in Sanaag region of Somalia. The clash in which 9 people have been killed so far centers on the control of two places Majiyahan and Dhallan in Sanaag that the autonomous Puntland wants so desperately to secure for an illicit deal it had with Range Resources LTD. The deal is about oil and mining explorations in Sanaag region. Troops from both opposing sides have also begun to build up, and tribal mobilization is reported to have started in several cities. Weapons such as Mortars, Rocket Propelled Grenade and Gun shots have been exchanged. There are verified reports from reliable sources in the region that several wounded men have been brought to Bossaso hospital. “The fighting is still continuing and there are a great fear that it will turn into a full-scale conflict,†said by Abdi Iid. Mayiyahan and Dhanan contain valuable minerals such as copper and diamonds. A regional analyst illustrates, “The gravity of this issue is not news to me. There have been pending negotiations between Sanaag administration and Puntland since last year regarding resource management, share agreements and most importantly a direct negotiation with the company itself, but nothing fruitful came out of it and Adde has been very reluctant to respect the owners. His main suspicion is that there are local politicians and experts who are working with the Soamliland administration on this issue but that is an outright excuse to attack the region through the mobilization of various segments. The only ad hoc administration that Sanaag has allied with and supported ever since is Pun land until warlord Adde made it open his belligerence onto ‘people Sanaag’.†One of the parliamentarians, Awad Ashara, who was interviewed by BBC accused the governor of Puntland administration of creating instability in the region.

General Duke any news on the meeting? TIA

Puntland begins reduction of security forces Garowe (1 November 2005) - Puntland State of Somalia has embarked on its first ever Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Programme of 500 security force personnel with a view to reducing the number of security personnel, while increasing peace, security and development in the state. The exercise is expected to target a total of 1,000 forces by mid-2006. The programme was requested by the Puntland Government and is supported by UNDP. Vice President (Acting President) of Puntland Hassan Dahir stressed that, "DDR is essential to alleviate the financial pressures now facing the Government. It will also make the forces more efficient and effective." Once completed, this exercise is expected to free up an annual USD 1 million from the state budget that will support the provision of essential services such as education and health. All security force personnel have now been registered with the Government, and a new DDR policy will guide the selection of those eligible to participate in the programme. After handing over their weapons to their commanders, the participants will be provided with on-the-job training and placement, formal education, rural resettlement or support to start their own micro-enterprises. Speaking at one of the demobilisation events in Garowe today, UNDP Resident Representative Maxwell Gaylard said that, "DDR and security sector reform are fundamental to sustaining peace and prosperity in Somalia by controlling small arms and helping government provide services to its people. At the same time it will help those that have long served in the security forces to find new means to support themselves and their families." The DDR programme is a component of UNDP's Rule of Law and Security Programme that supports Somali efforts towards re-establishing peace and security in Somalia. For more information please contact: Sandra Macharia, Information Officer, UNDP Somalia Email: sandra.macharia@undp.org Phone: (245) 20 4183640/2

Do you have the right address? Head Office: Unit 4, 50 Bourke Street Melbourne Victoria AUSTRALIA, 3001

Somalia: Government Press Release Thu. October 27, 2005 09:27 am. Send this news article The Transitonal Federal Government of the Somali Republic Office of the Prime Minister/Somali Liaison Office October27,2005 PRESS RELEASE UPDATE The Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, arrived last night in Jowhar with a high profile entourage, which included the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Finance ,Salim A. Ibro,Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdillahi Sheikh Ismail and 13 deputies of Transitional parliament. The deputies, who have been meeting in Nairobi recently, pledged to continue dialogue within the government institutions and they looked forward to hold consultations with the President in Jowhar. Several other deputies from Mogadishu are expected to arrive in Jowhar in next few days. Speaking on behalf of the other deputies, Qamar Adan Jeel called for internal dialogue in order to narrow the differences with the TFG. President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed met this week the Ambassador Francois Fall Special Envoy to Somalia and categorically told him he is committed to ending differences through dialogue and without the need for external interventions. Abdirahman Dinari Government Spokesman Somali Liaison Office Nairobi

SomaliPride thank you for talking the time to reply. It is much appreciated. There are many of us outside of Somalia that want to see peace and prosperity for the people of Somalia. They have suffered long enough. It seems that there is a lot work to be done before this goal is rsearch. Let us hope and pray that one day all of this will past and that the people of Somalia will find peace together. Again thank you, indy

ya ateeh shi k'is Sky, I have great respect and feeling for what the Somalian people are going through. So please do not take my interest in what is happening in your country the wrong way. There are people in this world who care what is happening in your country and what is happening to your people. Ahehee, indy

ya ateeh wind talker, I am part Navajo and from New Mexico. I too would like to know what the article you have posted says. Your help would be appreciated. ahehee, indy

Somalipride...Thank you.

email to: Dear Mr. Rotherham, Did you contact the company before writing this article? Did you review Range's Oct. 10, 2005 Announcement " GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR PUNTLAND AGREEMENT"? See below. Did you check-out the background on Dr.Ali Abdullahi M Barkadle and ask why he would be saying what he is about Range? See below. Did you see or review the BBC Monitoring Africa article (Excerpt from report by Somali independent Shabeelle Media Network website on 7 October): Somalia: Rift over oil exploration in Puntland reportedly resolved ? See below. Did you review or see the "Ministers Speech " made in Dubai on Aug. 30, 2005? See below. Mr.Rotherman once you have reviewed all of this material would you be so kind to reply to me as to your thoughts and views. Regards, ********************** 10 October 2005 Manager Company Announcements Office Australian Stock Exchange Limited 20 Bridge Street Sydney, NSW By E-lodgement GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR PUNTLAND AGREEMENT In reference to the Company's announcement last Wednesday, 5 October 2005 and following a number of shareholder and media queries in respect of the regulatory approvals required from relevant Somalian and Puntland government bodies in order for the Heads of Agreement to take effect, the Company is pleased to advise the following: 􀂾 the Puntland Government has already provided Consort with in principal approval for the deal as contemplated by the Heads of Agreement with Range. Range and Consort are currently procuring the formal mechanical approvals required under the Puntland Agreement itself but does not see the process as potentially affecting any of the material terms contemplated by the Heads of Agreement; and 􀂾 the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia has provided Consort with written approval with regards to the validity, operation and effect of the Puntland Agreement subject only to amendments being made to the Contract of Work to reflect the constitutions of both the Puntland and Transitional Federal Governments. The Company views these amendments as more mechanical in nature and does not foresee any major problems in satisfying the regulatory approvals required as conditions precedent under the Heads of Agreement. The Company looks forward to updating shareholders as to the progress of the Puntland project and the satisfaction of the various conditions precedent. Yours faithfully PETER LANDAU Company Secretary It begs the question why these articles are being printed. The source seems to be in question as to his motive. The individual giving the information to the press is: http://www.amsasconsulting.com/index.html The writer Dr.Ali Abdullahi M Barkadle is a Resource and Management consultant to Lundin Petroleum AB and other International organizations he is also the Chief Executive of Amsas consulting, and was a former Presidential candidate for the Federal Republic of Somalia. He can be contacted at info@amsasconsulting.com Motive might be that he did NOT get the deal that Range/Consort did and that the fact he was NOT elected President for the Federal Republic of Somalia. http://www.amsasconsulting.com/oil.html The state of Puntland on the northern parts of Somalia has agreed to work with Amsas Consulting on the best ways of bringing investors into the Oil and Gas sectors of Somalia. In a closed door meeting between the President of Puntland HE Adde Muse Hirsi and the Chief executive of Amsas consulting Dr.Ali Abdullahi they came to the conclusion that new concession proposals will be passed to investors in the Oil and Gas sectors. The federal government and the state of Somaliland are also having contacts with Amsas Consulting on the best ways to bring investors into these sectors. Amsas Consulting are experts in Project Management in the mining and upstream oil industry. We have done projects in Zambia, Zaire, and Kenya with other activities on the pipeline in Somalia and Sudan. Puntland was at the center of oil explorations in the 80's when Conocco, Amoco(now PB), and Agip had concessions in Blocks 27,28,31,32, and 35. According to experts in the fields of oil and gas, Somalia is going to be where the next big oilfields are possibly going to be discovered. The country has not seen any exploration since the mid to late 80's. www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm Somalia: Rift over oil exploration in Puntland reportedly resolved BBC Monitoring Africa English 8 October 2005 © 2005 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation. Excerpt from report by Somali independent Shabeelle Media Network website on 7 October A disagreement which has been going on between the Jowhar-based faction of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] and the [breakaway] Puntland administration, with regards to Puntland's decision to carry out oil exploration, is said to have been resolved. A six-day meeting between TFG officials and some Puntland ministers was today concluded in Jowhar, HQ of the Middle Shabeelle Region. The meeting focused on how to resolve the rift which had cropped up between the TFG and Puntland on a [foreign] firm reportedly interested in oil exploration in Puntland regions. In the end, the meeting was attended by the TFG prime minister, Prof [Ali Muhammad] Gedi, who stated that the disagreement has been sorted out. He said the issue was merely about how to reconcile some constitutional clauses on exploration and distribution of the Somali [mineral] resources in general and, in particular, an oil exploration deal signed between Puntland and foreign firms. Mr Gedi underscored that the discussion has finally come to fruition, adding that the agreement would be included in what had already been agreed upon between Puntland and the oil drilling companies. www.somaliatalk.com/terry/ggbspeach.pdf http://www.somaliatalk.com/ Ministers Speech Good evening to all of you distinguished guests. Tonight the 30th of August 2005 we signed a historic contract here at the Hilton Dubai between Puntland Government and Consort. This contract, like Dr Black, just mentioned went through a lengthy 7 month discussion between the parties, tonight is the conclusion of that hard work. The contract is based on the exploration and exploitation of the minerals in Puntland. Our country needs a lot of development and there is been a lot of speculation for quite sometime that we have a lot of wealth in our subsoil, and because of our limitations to research it or even dig it, we decided to give to a company that can help us develop it so that our people can take advantage and move forward like other countries did in the past. The people that worked to make this night possible showed us a lot of strength and courage, they were a lot of lies said about them, not only in Somalia but also abroad. It involved foreign countries and companies whose sole interest is to keep Puntland as a reserve and come and develop it as they please. Consort and Dr Black are showing the rest of the world that Puntland is open for business. They saw with their own eyes that what is on the newspapers is not the whole truth. The picture that they give about Somalia is inaccurate, and based on their experience in Puntland, Consort is willing to come and do business with us. As the Government of Puntland we have no intention of taking anything that is not ours, we only want to develop what belongs to Puntland. I want to thank everybody who worked towards the realization of this contract, beginning with the president, Consort people, and other dignitaries of the government. A special thanks to Liban Bogor, who for the last six mont hs forgot about his family, and put aside his own work to make this concession agreement something that both parties agree on. I want to tell you distinguished guests, that as of today there is a mountain of work waiting for Consort and the government, but I am confident that we are both going to rise to the challenge. As a government will promise all our efforts to help Consort do their work. Thank you, and now let me welcome the president to the mike.

Somalipride what do you know about HAFZA (Horn of Africa Free Zone Authority). Are they doing anything in PL now? Are they related to consort / range deal? The Puntland State of the Federal Republic of Somalia has commissioned October 2004, HAFZA Ltd. of Alberta, Canada to be the operating body for establishing several free zones throughout Puntland. HAFZA Ltd. trades under the business name of the Horn of Africa Free Zone Authority (HAFZA). The philosophy of HAFZA is that, although it is a private corporation, it is to be considered as one of the government’s tools so as to enhance the region economically. HAFZA proposes to achieve this with the development of new and/or redevelopment of existing sea and airports throughout Puntland.... all operating as Free (tax exempt trade) Zones.

Hi Somalipride I found this to day. It looks like PL is going forward one way or another. www.somaliatalk.com/terry/ggbspeach.pdf http://www.somaliatalk.com/ Ministers Speech Good evening to all of you distinguished guests. Tonight the 30th of August 2005 we signed a historic contract here at the Hilton Dubai between Puntland Government and Consort. This contract, like Dr Black, just mentioned went through a lengthy 7 month discussion between the parties, tonight is the conclusion of that hard work. The contract is based on the exploration and exploitation of the minerals in Puntland. Our country needs a lot of development and there is been a lot of speculation for quite sometime that we have a lot of wealth in our subsoil, and because of our limitations to research it or even dig it, we decided to give to a company that can help us develop it so that our people can take advantage and move forward like other countries did in the past. The people that worked to make this night possible showed us a lot of strength and courage, they were a lot of lies said about them, not only in Somalia but also abroad. It involved foreign countries and companies whose sole interest is to keep Puntland as a reserve and come and develop it as they please. Consort and Dr Black are showing the rest of the world that Puntland is open for business. They saw with their own eyes that what is on the newspapers is not the whole truth. The picture that they give about Somalia is inaccurate, and based on their experience in Puntland, Consort is willing to come and do business with us. As the Government of Puntland we have no intention of taking anything that is not ours, we only want to develop what belongs to Puntland. I want to thank everybody who worked towards the realization of this contract, beginning with the president, Consort people, and other dignitaries of the government. A special thanks to Liban Bogor, who for the last six mont hs forgot about his family, and put aside his own work to make this concession agreement something that both parties agree on. I want to tell you distinguished guests, that as of today there is a mountain of work waiting for Consort and the government, but I am confident that we are both going to rise to the challenge. As a government will promise all our efforts to help Consort do their work. Thank you, and now let me welcome the president to the mike.

wind.talker how would describe Dr.Ali Abdullahi M Barkadle and what he is doing in PL? See his website: http://www.amsasconsulting.com/index.html http://www.amsasconsulting.com/oil.html The state of Puntland on the northern parts of Somalia has agreed to work with Amsas Consulting on the best ways of bringing investors into the Oil and Gas sectors of Somalia. In a closed door meeting between the President of Puntland HE Adde Muse Hirsi and the Chief executive of Amsas consulting Dr.Ali Abdullahi they came to the conclusion that new concession proposals will be passed to investors in the Oil and Gas sectors. The federal government and the state of Somaliland are also having contacts with Amsas Consulting on the best ways to bring investors into these sectors. Amsas Consulting are experts in Project Management in the mining and upstream oil industry. We have done projects in Zambia, Zaire, and Kenya with other activities on the pipeline in Somalia and Sudan. Puntland was at the center of oil explorations in the 80's when Conocco, Amoco(now PB), and Agip had concessions in Blocks 27,28,31,32, and 35. According to experts in the fields of oil and gas, Somalia is going to be where the next big oilfields are possibly going to be discovered. The country has not seen any exploration since the mid to late 80's. http://www.amsasconsulting.com/index.html Dr.Ali Abdullahi M Barkadle is a Resource and Management consultant to Lundin Petroleum AB and other International organizations he is also the Chief Executive of Amsas consulting, and was a former Presidential candidate for the Federal Republic of Somalia. He can be contacted at info@amsasconsulting.com http://www.amsasconsulting.com/contacts.html Amsas Management Consulting Welcome, this is the Official Home page of Amsas Management Consulting, we can assist you with Public Relations, Project Management, financial Management, Research, Information Technology. We can be reached on the shown details 24/7. Just try our services and you will appreciate our customer service that comes second to none Australia Head Office: Suite 27 144-148 Nicholson Street,Footscray, Victoria 3011 Tel:613-96879996 Fax:613-99236149 Hiedelberg W.:Tel 613-94577639 Fax:613-99236149 Mail:P.O.Box 1026 Ivanhoe, Victoria 3079, Australia. email: :info@amsasconsulting.com

Could you please explain how Range could publish this announcement without the ASX approval. It would seem that the ASX would not let them put this out to the australian people if they had a problem. I am confused. Some help please. ******************** 10 October 2005 Manager Company Announcements Office Australian Stock Exchange Limited 20 Bridge Street Sydney, NSW By E-lodgement GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR PUNTLAND AGREEMENT In reference to the Company's announcement last Wednesday, 5 October 2005 and following a number of shareholder and media queries in respect of the regulatory approvals required from relevant Somalian and Puntland government bodies in order for the Heads of Agreement to take effect, the Company is pleased to advise the following: 􀂾 the Puntland Government has already provided Consort with in principal approval for the deal as contemplated by the Heads of Agreement with Range. Range and Consort are currently procuring the formal mechanical approvals required under the Puntland Agreement itself but does not see the process as potentially affecting any of the material terms contemplated by the Heads of Agreement; and 􀂾 the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia has provided Consort with written approval with regards to the validity, operation and effect of the Puntland Agreement subject only to amendments being made to the Contract of Work to reflect the constitutions of both the Puntland and Transitional Federal Governments. The Company views these amendments as more mechanical in nature and does not foresee any major problems in satisfying the regulatory approvals required as conditions precedent under the Heads of Agreement. The Company looks forward to updating shareholders as to the progress of the Puntland project and the satisfaction of the various conditions precedent. Yours faithfully PETER LANDAU Company Secretary

Could you tell me if this BBC article is valid? It seems to say that the TFG and PL have agreed that things are ok. Your help in explaining this would be good. Thank you. Somalia: Rift over oil exploration in Puntland reportedly resolved BBC Monitoring Africa English 8 October 2005 © 2005 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation. Excerpt from report by Somali independent Shabeelle Media Network website on 7 October A disagreement which has been going on between the Jowhar-based faction of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] and the [breakaway] Puntland administration, with regards to Puntland's decision to carry out oil exploration, is said to have been resolved. A six-day meeting between TFG officials and some Puntland ministers was today concluded in Jowhar, HQ of the Middle Shabeelle Region. The meeting focused on how to resolve the rift which had cropped up between the TFG and Puntland on a [foreign] firm reportedly interested in oil exploration in Puntland regions. In the end, the meeting was attended by the TFG prime minister, Prof [Ali Muhammad] Gedi, who stated that the disagreement has been sorted out. He said the issue was merely about how to reconcile some constitutional clauses on exploration and distribution of the Somali [mineral] resources in general and, in particular, an oil exploration deal signed between Puntland and foreign firms. Mr Gedi underscored that the discussion has finally come to fruition, adding that the agreement would be included in what had already been agreed upon between Puntland and the oil drilling companies.