Very Smart indeed. It's a State Resource Puntland needs it's fair share. Puntland state needs to write out the Petroleum Law since 100% of Somalia Petroleum is in Puntland. The State already has things going for it. We can't have some clowns in the TFG messing things up for our State.
Somalia: Puntland will not recognize the oil law if passed
8 Sep 8, 2007 - 9:45:25 PM
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Sep 8 (Garowe Online) - The regional government of Puntland, in northern Somalia, will not accept a new national Petroleum Law introduced into parliament by the country's transitional federal government (TFG).
Gen. Mohamud "Adde" Muse, the president of Puntland, told the BBC Somali Service on Saturday from Dubai that his administration will not accept the proposed Petroleum Law, recently introduced into parliament by Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi.
"This law is not in our interest or in the interest of the federal government," President Muse said, adding that the new bill was engineered "outside of Somalia."
Two foreign companies, based in Kuwait and Indonesia, respectively, provided technical assistance in writing up the draft for the new Petroleum Law. [ Full story]
He repeatedly stated that "no one consulted with us [Puntland]" during the process to write up the proposed oil bill.
Muse said senior TFG officials, including the Prime Minister, are promoting select foreign companies to invest in Somalia, which would give such companies an unfair advantage over others.
"I even heard the Speaker [of parliament, Sheikh Adan "Madobe" Mohamed] is pushing for a company," President Muse said.
The Puntland leader, who visited Mogadishu last month, said he and TFG officials signed agreements allowing Puntland to continue with ongoing exploration initiatives.
"They [TFG] agreed to allow us to continue with our signed agreements…and to come together and share if it makes it to production level," Muse said, referring to his trip to Mogadishu.
Muse's Puntland administration signed an agreement in 2005 with Australia-based junior explorer Range Resources, Ltd. Prime Minister Gedi has interfered numerous times since then to stop the Puntland-Range deal from materializing.
Speaking about Range's operations in Puntland, President Muse said TFG officials clearly told him that "these companies must leave Puntland."
"I told Gedi that we [Puntland] will not accept this [Petroleum] Law if it is written this way and we will not accept how you [TFG] distributed the shares and I also told the President [Abdullahi Yusuf]," Muse said during the BBC interview.
Muse said two attempts to reach Prime Minister Gedi in Djibouti were unsuccessful. He talked with President Yusuf and parliament Speaker Madobe over the issue.
He pushed the parliament Speaker to delay the ratification process. Speaker Madobe argued that the Petroleum Law debate had been brewing for the past five months but said "we will see," according to Muse.
"Puntland will make a decision" i f the proposed Petroleum Law is passed in the Somali parliament, President Muse said.
Today, an attempt in parliament to open debate on the proposed Petroleum Law ended in failure after MPs disagreed and forced parliament hall to close. [ Full story]
Somalia has been wracked by civil warfare since 1991 when the country's last national government collapsed and armed clans turned on each other.
Many fear that the Somali conflict will be prolonged if foreign firms begin exploration in the country prior to the establishment of effective governance throughout Somalia.
In early 2006, skirmishes between Puntland security forces protecting a team of Range scientists and clan militias opposed to Muse's exploration policy led to several deaths and indefinitely halted operations in Sanaag region.
Source: Garowe Online
Let the games start.
