Qatar

DOHA – Qatar said on Monday that Eritrean troops have withdrawn from an area they controlled in Djibouti as a result of Doha’s mediation bid to end a territorial dispute between the two neighbours.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani was quoted by official QNA news as saying that Eritrea has already conducted “a withdrawal from disputed border areas,” a move verified by a Qatari observer force.

The Qatari mediation provides for the formation of a committee, headed by Sheikh Hamad, which is empowered to appoint an international firm to demarcate the border, with Eritrea and Djibouti’s consent, QNA said.

The Qatari observation force is tasked with monitoring the border between the two countries “until the conclusion of a final agreement on settling the conflict,” QNA reported.

The force, made up of about twenty soldiers, arrived in Djibouti on Friday, according to Djibouti press reports.

The long-running border row between Djibouti and Eritrea over the disputed Ras Doumeira promontory on the shores of the Red Sea led to clashes in 1996, 1999 and again in 2008.

Qatar, a small Gulf country rich in natural gas and oil, has offered to mediate in various conflicts, including internal strife in Sudan, Yemen and Lebanon. (Middle East Online)

By Charles Wyatt (Minesite) – Not very often we start a mining article with a combined geography/history lesson, but in this case the only way to make sense of the recent moves by a number of mining companies into Eritrea is to understand exactly where the country is, what surrounds it, and what has been going on there.

The region is described loosely as the Horn of Africa but a close look at a map shows that the real Horn juts out south of Djibouti into the Gulf of Aden and largely consists of Somalia, with Ethiopia to its west and north. Djibouti has coast along the Red Sea and Somalia has a massive coastline in the Gulf of Aden as well as the Indian Ocean. That is where the pirates lie in wait for their victims, remember?

Ethiopia, however, has no coastline at all and that is why it has for generations made a pest of itself to Eritrea which cuts it off from the Red Sea, running all the way up from Djibouti to Sudan, with Egypt a bit further to the north.

Before the Second World War Eritrea was an Italian colony, but was taken over by the British in 1941. Once the war was over, in 1952, the United Nations decided to establish it as an autonomous entity federated with Ethiopia as a compromise between Ethiopian claims for sovereignty and Eritrean aspirations for independence. Ten years later the Ethiopians tried to annex it, triggering a war which lasted for more than 30 years. The result was victory for Eritrea which declared independence in 1993, leaving Ethiopia landlocked. The two countries hardly became good neighbours, with the issues of Ethiopian access to the Eritrean ports of Massawa and Assab, and unequal trade terms, souring relations. In 1998 there was another flare-up that lasted a couple of years and again it was Ethiopia trying to get access to the Red Sea.

Since 2000 there has been an uneasy peace, with Eritrea trying to rebuild its economy after a devastating period of war. It sits, however, in a difficult area and every time there were problems in Sudan, Djibouti or Somalia near its border, Eritrea was held responsible by the UN. This culminated in the adoption of a package of sanctions against Eritrea last December.

What has to be seen in the background of all this is the dark art of US diplomacy. The US wanted its favoured candidate Ethiopia to have access to the Red Sea and found Eritrea much too independent for its liking. Eritrea is fighting its corner to get the sanctions lifted.

In the meantime, as Ambassador Tesfamicael Gerahtu pointed out in London yesterday, the country is straining every muscle to become self-dependent in food production and improve education and health services.

Anyone arriving in the capital of Asmara today could easily think the plane had been re-routed to Italy, according to Rupert Baring of gold explorer London Africa. There are wide streets, Italianate architecture and a coffee culture, with plentiful cafes.

The people he describes as proud, independent and honest and he has never seen any sign of the corruption endemic in so many parts of Africa. These are just some of the reasons why mining companies, big and small, are taking a serious look at Eritrea. The biggest reason of all, however, is the fact that the country is unexplored in modern times and underneath Eritrea, as well as under the other countries in the Horn of Africa, lies the Arabian-Nubian Shield which is an exposure of pre-Cambrian rocks on the flanks of the Red Sea. The Shield also crosses over into Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. In the north it’s exposed as part of the Sahara Desert and Arabian Desert, and in the south in the Ethiopian Highlands.

The Arabian-Nubian Sheld was the site of some of man’s earliest geologic efforts, principally the Egyptians who extracted gold from the rocks of Egypt and north east Sudan. New gold discoveries have been made in Sudan, Eritrea, and Saudi Arabia. Last week Tim Goyder, executive chairman of the Australian gold explorer Chalice Gold Mines, was passing through London and he laid out a map which showed that his company’s Zara and Koka projects lie on the same pre-Cambrian shield as Centamin’s Sukari gold mine in the Western Desert of Egypt. For reasons of history and politics, the amount of modern gold exploration that has taken place in Egypt – Centamin apart – is modest, but none at all has taken place in Eritrea until recently. Someone has to be the original pioneer, and it appears to be the Canadian company Nevsun in this particular case. Nevsun is bringing its high grade gold, copper and zinc Bisha deposit into production later this year.

Tookie Angus, chairman of Nevsun, confirms that the Bisha project has received continuous support from the Eritrean government, which granted the mining licence in January 2008. Bisha will be the first modern-day mine in the country, with production slated to return over a million ounces of gold, 9.4 million ounces of silver, 734 million pounds of copper and more than one billion pounds of zinc during its life. The really interesting aspect, however, is the deal between Nevsun and the government of Eritrea. Under existing Eritrean mining legislation, the State of Eritrea has an automatic right to a free carried 10 per cent interest, but under an agreement with Nevsun it also has an additional 30 per cent paid participating interest. This 30 per cent contributing interest was agreed upon in October 2007, with a provisional US$25million payment made to Nevsun. The remaining balance to be paid to Nevsun will be determined by an independent valuator, and will be based on the net present value of 30 per cent of the project, as evaluated upon the first shipment of gold from the mine.

Not for Eritrea the black empowerment requirements of South Africa which so often end up with a 26 per cent stake in mining companies being effectively stolen by entities which have no intention of paying their way as partners. The Nevsun deal is straightforward stuff, with the Eritrean government setting out to get a significant stake in a project which should ensure it a satisfactory return. And it goes further than this. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is helping to organise a regional Geo-Conference in Eritrea in September which will showcase the potential for mining. It is especially interesting that Centamin has been invited from Egypt, La Mancha with its Hassai VMS mine, from Sudan, and Citadel which has the Jabel Sayed copper gold deposit, from Saudi Arabia. The whole region underlain by the Arabian-Nubian Shield is being represented, and little Eritrea is taking the lead. And that’s hardly what the UN envisaged when it put in the sanctions at the behest of the US.

There are now getting on for 20 mining companies active in the country. The Chinese are there, the Koreans are there, and now some of the big boys are following the juniors in. The country has a very sensible mining code, modelled on the Australian one. Antofagasta, one of the world’s largest copper producers is in a joint venture with the Canadian company Sunridge Gold on the Adi Rassi copper gold project within its Asmara project, and Anglo American is involved in the Thani–Ashanti Alliance. Newmont is also said to be taking a close look, which is another reason for the UN to reconsider its decision on sanctions. The Amir of Qatar not only owns the Asmara Place Hotel, where Brits and locals alike watch English football in the Green Bar, but is also building a summer home at Massawa overlooking the Red Sea. Eritrea, with a history that has precluded any exploration in modern times, is the new frontier and everyone is taking a look. The reaction from mining companies and fund managers alike has been universally positive, so this is likely to build up into a big story even if it is one that will not hit the headlines in the States.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for Africa to be “blanketed” with bed nets as part of the battle to eradicate malaria.

Dr Rowan Williams said in spite of being preventable and treatable, the blood disease – caused by a parasite transmitted by the mosquito – was still killing nearly a million people every year.

In a message recorded to mark World Malaria Day on Sunday, Dr Williams called on the world to put its “energy and imagination” behind efforts to achieve the goal of getting rid of malaria deaths by 2015.

“One of the things that I was taught when I was growing up was that among the greatest achievements of modern science was the identification of where malaria came from, the great steps that have been made to eradicate malaria from the world,” he said.

“That was many years ago and in the intervening years, tragically the challenge of malaria has grown worse not better.

“Half the world’s population is at risk from malaria, about a million people die because of it every year and not surprisingly the cost is highest among those most vulnerable and the youngest.”

The message was recorded by Dr Williams to support the global coalition United Against Malaria.

Campaigners are working towards a United Nations target of providing bed nets to everyone at risk by the end of this year with the aim of eradicating malaria deaths by 2015.

Ethiopia, Rwanda and Eritrea have been highlighted for their success in reducing malaria deaths by more than a half in just a few years through the use of bed nets, medicines and spraying.

Malaria sufferers experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache and vomiting. Without treatment, the disease can result in permanent brain damage and death. Source: (The Press Association)

Westerwelle

DPA- Berlin – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel are to begin a five-day visit to Africa on Wednesday, with stops in Tanzania, South Africa and Djibouti.

In a joint statement Monday, they said the trip demonstrated their alliance to shape foreign and aid policy “in the same mould.”

Westerwelle is leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Niebel is a senior official of the same party, which has unsuccessfully pressed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition to merge the two ministries into one.

In Tanzania they are to hold talks with with President Jakaya Kikwete, meet with president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Charles Byron and open a German cultural centre, or Goethe Institute, in the port city of Dar-es-Salaam.

In South Africa, a regular binational commission meeting is to take place with Vice-President Kgalema Motlanthe representing the South African side.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti is to receive them both on Sunday on the last leg of the trip.

Westerwelle is also to pay a call on German military units in Djibouti comprising a liaison unit with Operation Enduring Freedom, a NATO anti-terrorism deployment, and Operation Atalanta, the European Union naval mission to protect shipping on the Somali coast against pirates.

German business people, cultural figures and aid executives are to be in the tour delegation.

Earlier, in a newspaper interview, Westerwelle said Germany should pay more attention to the opportunities offered by Africa.

“Africa faces enormous challenges: warlike conflicts, natural disasters and pandemics such as AIDS. But we want to put more of the focus on opportunities: its creativity, its economic potential and its wealth in raw materials,” he said.

DJIBOUTI, March 21 – Martina Fuchs (Reuters) reports that the president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh signalled in an interview that he was prepared to run for a third six-year term if lawmakers amend the constitution in the small Horn of Africa nation.

The national assembly is expected to decide next week on an extension of presidential terms in office and speculation has surrounded his plans to run for a third mandate.

“This is a demand from our population and this will be next year. Let us wait for the outcome of the national commission that is working on the subject,” Guelleh said in an interview on Saturday at the 19th century French colonial presidential palace on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Asked if he would accept the parliament’s decision to approve a third term, he said: “If it’s God’s will.”

Guelleh took office in 1999 and his second mandate expires in April 2011.

Djibouti, a former French colony which separates Eritrea from Somalia, hosts France’s largest military base in Africa and a major U.S. base. Its port is used by foreign navies patrolling busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy.

Guelleh said he believed the situation in Somalia was improving.

“I think the situation is better than before. There is some sort of fed-up (mood) among the Somali people especially of Mogadishu’s citizens which suffer from this opposition. I think that (President) Sheikh Sharif (Ahmed) will prevail,” he said.

Since 2007, fighting between pro-government militia and the Islamist al Shabaab group — which Washington sees as al Qaeda’s proxy in the region — has killed more than 21,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes.

Ahmed joined a Western-backed peace process and was voted president of Somalia in January 2009 in an election which took place in Djibouti.

Guelleh said he was not planning to send more troops to Somalia on top of the 450 Djibouti has pledged to boost a 5,000 strong African Union force there.

Relations between Djibouti and neighbouring Eritrea under President Isaias Afwerki remain hostile.

The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in December, accusing it of destabilising the region by providing funds and arms to Islamist insurgents in Somalia. Eritrea has denied the allegations.

“We are now in the process of implementation of the resolution which we hope will make this guy more flexible to the international community,” Guelleh said, referring to Isaias. “He must abide by international law.”

Guelleh said he expected Djibouti’s 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) to come in above a 5.4 percent estimate by the International Monetary Fund.

“We have not so much been affected by the financial crisis. We hope that there will be an influx of foreign direct investment which will boost our economy. We hope that we will achieve 5.7 or even 6 percent,” he said.

Chinese will be Djibouti’s biggest investors next year and in 2012, Guelleh said. “The Chinese will help make the port of Djibouti the biggest hub in this region. That will cost nearly half a billion U.S. dollars,” he said.

“We’ll have an electrified railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa — also by the Chinese. And we’ll have geothermal energy. And we are in discussions with French investors (about) wind farms.”

(Reporting by Martina Fuchs; Additional reporting by Abdourahim Arteh; Editing by Noah Barkin)

Video

Extract from State Department Special Briefing:

AMBASSADOR COUSIN: Thank you very much, Ambassador Carson. I’d also like to thank the members of the press for your presence and interest in covering these important issues related to Somalia. As Johnnie Carson stated, the Somali people have suffered tremendously during the more than 20 years of conflict in their country.

The Somalia Monitoring Group, more commonly known as the SMG, submitted their report to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee this past week. This SMG report – the SMG reports directly to the Security Council on implementation of the Somalia and Eritrea sanctions regimes. We take the work of the Somalia Monitoring Group very seriously and we are studying its recommendations.

Next week, the Security Council will meet and receive the regular 120-day report from the Chair of the Somalia Sanctions Committee that will include a briefing on the committee’s discussion of the SMG’s final report. The Somalia Monitoring Group report contains a number of recommendations, including those regarding the work of the World Food Program in Somalia. We at the U.S. Mission to the UN agencies in Rome are active members of the executive board of the World Food Program. This board regularly examines the work of the World Food Program and the perils its dedicated staff face around the world, particularly in places like Somalia.

In December of 2009, the World Food Program presented a briefing on the – its Somalia program to the World Food Program executive board. After the December board meeting, WFP did take internal measures to address the concerns raised in this internal report. Some of the same types of allegations were raised in the Somalia Monitoring Group’s report. So this morning, the executive board recognized that regardless of the process mandated by the SMG, the board has a responsibility for oversight and governance of the WFP operations. Consensus was reached by the board to ensure that all practices of the WFP in – WFP team in Somalia are in line with the organization’s policies and procedures.

We will continue to work to ensure that the generous contributions of the American people to support the work of the World Food Program are managed in an accountable and transparent manner. We express our gratitude to the WFP staff for their commitment to meet humanitarian needs in the most difficult of circumstances. The United States remains strongly committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the people of Somalia. We continue to seek ways to ensure that the Somalian people receive the assistance they require.

I’ll end here, Assistant Secretary, and look forward to any questions from the media. Thank you.

MR. DUGUID: Before we get to the questions, I would like to make a correction for the record. I described Ambassador Cousin’s – one of her official duties rather than her official title, which is – Ambassador to U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome is her official working title.

As we call on you, please identify yourself and which ambassador you would like to speak to.

Matt.

QUESTION: Matt Lee with AP. Ambassador Carson, you mentioned at the very top – you were talking about a number of recent press reports. Can you be specific about what these reports said? I’m not asking you to identify whatever organization they were responsible. But what did they say? And what is wrong – what was wrong with them?

Secondly, you said that the Djibouti process was supported by IGAD, the AU, and all the countries of the region. But that’s not entirely true, is it? I mean, there is one country that doesn’t support it. Or has Eritrea changed their position? And then –those two very briefly – but then on the military aid that you talked about the several tons of weapons that have been provided to the TFG. Are there any concerns that those weapons may be leaking out in the same way that the food aid was described as leaking out to insurgents?

AMBASSADOR CARSON: Let me say, the most prominent article was one that appeared approximately a week ago in The New York Times, written by Jeff Gettleman, and I think co-authored by one of his colleagues, which asserted or carried the assertion that the U.S. Government had military advisors assisting and aiding the TFG, that the U.S. Government was, in fact, helping to coordinate the strategic offensive that is apparently underway now, or may be underway now, in Mogadishu, and that we were, in effect, guiding the hand and the operations of the TFG military. All of those are incorrect. All of those do not reflect the accuracy of our policy, and all of those need to be refuted very strongly. I think my statement clearly outlined what we are doing and why we are doing it.

You indicated that one state in the region has not joined in, and that is absolutely true; that is Eritrea. But Eritrea, in fact, stands alone. What my statement said was that all key states in the region, all the important states in the region – and I would include among them Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and other members of IGAD –

QUESTION: You’re not planning to meet up with President Isaias anytime soon, are you?

AMBASSADOR CARSON: Whenever an opportunity presents itself to engage President Isaias in a conversation that will lead to peace and a cessation of Eritrean support for spoilers in the region, I will do so.

With respect to military weapons, we try as best we possibly can to ensure through a number of mechanisms that any assistance, any assistance that we give to the TFG, directly or indirectly, is accounted for and audited through mechanisms that we believe are very good.

Sudan – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched an information campaign in Sudan on the risks of irregular migration as part of a broader effort to tackle key migration issues in East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

The campaign, which will target seven states in eastern Sudan, will be implemented as part of an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) programme to address gaps in migration management in the IGAD region. It aims to inform irregular migrants and potential migrants of the risks they face on their journey to Europe and the Middle East.

With more than 7,600 kms of land borders, 853 kms of coastline and nine neighbours, Sudan lies in the middle of the East African route to the Mediterranean. It is one of the three main routes used by mainly Ethiopian, Eritrean and Somali irregular migrants en route to Europe via Libya and Egypt as they seek to escape poverty, conflict and increasing environmental degradation at home.

Sudan is also a country of origin and destination for irregular migrants. More than 100,000 refugees from the Horn of Africa are currently being hosted in camps in Khartoum, Gedaref, Red Sea, Kassala, El Gezira, Sennar and Blue Nile states, with the camps recognized as a source and transit point for flows of both asylum-seekers and economic migrants to, within and through Sudan.

Sudanese nationals seeking a new life abroad using irregular means can often become stranded in transit. All irregular migrants are vulnerable to human trafficking and abuse during their journey, often because of a lack of knowledge about what the journey will actually entail.

Posters and flyers with information and advice are being distributed in Arabic, Amharic and Tigrinya in the seven states. Dialogues are also being held with community leaders in the camps. The campaign, funded by the European Commission, is also using radio and other means to reach irregular migrants and potential Sudanese migrants with materials based on true-life stories designed to target specific ethnic groups, cultures and motives for migrating.

As well as highlighting the risks of irregular migration, campaign materials will inform migrants and potential migrants on the requirements and opportunities for regular migration. This will include information about how to obtain travel documents, work permits and visas, and and about the immigration laws of host countries.

Implemented in collaboration with the Immigration and Passport Department of the Ministry of Interior and the Sudanese Commission for Refugees, the campaign is a step towards a more established response to combating human smuggling and human trafficking in the country by building the government’s capacities on migration issues.

Westminster

UK Members of Parliament discussed regional security in the Horn of Africa during a debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday. Ivan Lewis, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, responded to the debate representing the UK Government.

The debate focused on issues of security and stability in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen acknowledging the strategic, economic and cultural importance of these countries. However, a great part of the discussion in Westminster Hall centered around the border problem between Eritrea and Ethiopia as a driver of conflict in the region.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard opened the discussion on Eritrea and Ethiopia by stating, “What happens in Addis Abeba matters”. Mr Pritchard supports his view by arguing that Ethiopia is one of the most stable countries in the Horn. He told attending MPs that he recently made a visit to Ethiopia and that the country reflects stability regardless of ongoing disputes and tensions with Eritrea.

Mr Pritchard was asked by Jeremey Corbyn, Labour MP from the Islington constituency, if he was able to discuss the issue of border dispute with the Ethiopian Government during his visit to Addis Ababa and whether he believes that there is any chance that the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling might be accepted by both parties.

Mr Pritchard replied that he had discussed it with the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia and other representatives of the Government. He said that it would help if the court would make the effort to visit the border rather than making judgments based on a map from a room in a European capital.

Throughout the debate the Conservative MP appeared to support Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of causing instability in the Horn with the support of Libya, Qatar and Iran. While the Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs tried to emphasise the complexity of the forces driving conflict in the Horn.

“I wonder whether we are not sometimes too simplistic in looking at goodies and baddies, and whether a much higher degree of involvement is needed,” Mr Corbyn said for instance.

Moreover, Labour and Liberal Democrats seemed to support the view that the Algiers Agreement and the Court of Arbitration ruling might be key to solving many problems in the region.

Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ivan Lewis responded to the debate saying,

“To my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North who raised the issue of the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, I have to say that there was arbitration. The Eritrea-Ethiopia boundary commission made a very clear decision on the border.

Despite our friendship with Ethiopia and our tremendous admiration for the progress it has made, we continue to press it to implement the decision following arbitration. The matter will continue to be a running sore and a cause of much instability until it has done so.

I say to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) who asked the question that we continue to make the case for that recommendation to be implemented, because it is a root cause of the significant instability.”

“We support the sanctions regime against Eritrea because we believe that country has consistently flouted international law, which is why we supported UN Security Council resolution 1907. However, that is not an alternative to engagement. Of course, we want to engage with Eritrea, as well as to insist that it does not behave in a way that undermines stability in the horn. It is very important to get that balance right.”

Watch the debate on link below:

WESTMINISTER HALL VIDEO

A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met on Tuesday with Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita on ways to enhance ties between the two nations, according to reports from its capital Djibouti.

China and Djibouti have strengthened their political trust and conducted mutually beneficial cooperation since they forged diplomatic ties in 1979, said Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.

The two countries have maintained close coordination on international affairs, Wang said, adding that relationship between the CPC and Djibouti Popular Rally for Progress (RPP) has become an important part of bilateral ties.

China is willing to work together with Djibouti to boost mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and strengthen exchanges between the two parties and two countries, he said.

President Guelleh, who is also RPP chairman, said Djibouti is ready to promote its pragmatic cooperation with China, a major partner of the African nation, so as to benefit the two peoples.

Prime Minister and RPP Vice Chairman Dileita spoke highly of China’s Africa policy and the Djibouti-China relations, and reaffirmed his country’s adherence to the one-China policy.

Wang arrived in Djibouti Tuesday, the last leg of his six-nation Africa tour. He has visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Benin, Mali and Senegal. Source: (Xinhua)

CHERRY POINT — The Hammerheads are headed for the Horn.

About 70 Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 left Cherry Point air station Tuesday morning in route to the Horn of Africa.

It is the first full-term, seven-month deployment for HMH-366, called the Hammerheads, since it was reactivated in September 2008, according to the commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jim Harp.

The Marines boarded two buses and headed for Norfolk, Va., where they will fly on a chartered jet to the small African nation of Djibouti, located at the juncture of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Yemen is about 20 miles across the Strait of Bab el Mandeb from Djibouti.

Harp said the personnel would be providing heavy-lift capability for contingency operations in the region as part of a mission that has been ongoing for some time there.

HMH-366 has CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters based at Hangar 250 at Cherry Point, but the detachment is not taking any of the choppers there. There are four Super Stallions already at the base in Djibouti. “Once we fall in on them, the helicopters that are there will become ours,” Harp said.

Harp said that since the standup of the squadron, the Marines have been working hard to attain full operational capability. A small group of Marines from the HMH-366 started a short, three-month deployment in Iraq in November.

The duties around the Horn of Africa will be varied, he said.

“There are a whole slew of different missions they could do over there. Humanitarian assistance may be one of them,” Harp said.

Capt. Doug Given, a CH-53E pilot, said that there would be two basic types of personnel on the mission: air crew and maintainers.

“Aircrews break the birds and the maintainers fix them,” Given said.

Though their exact role has not been determined, Given said the heavy-lifting capabilities of the Super Stallions will likely be used to transport supplies and aid if needed and to support operations by the Navy SeaBees, who are constructing buildings and drilling water wells in remote villages.

“Driving there just takes days and days and days where we can get there in an hour or two,” Given said of flying the helicopters. Given will be leaving behind a wife and 3-month-old baby boy during the deployment. “It’s not fun. It was tough to leave this morning,” Given said.

Staff Sgt. Joe Barkhurst, the crew chief for the flightline shop, was leaving his 6-year-old son Josh and wife Lisa on Tuesday morning. It is Barkhurst’s first deployment in his 13-year Marine career. “It’s going to be tough, especially since it’s the first time,” he said. Josh clung to his dad in the minutes leading up to the departure.

“We spend a lot of time together,” Barkhurst said. “The communication lines are already open, so we should be able to e-mail and talk on the phone.” Source: (SunJournal)

Harry Norman: Hello this is Harry Norman: for Proactive Investors, and welcome to another Proactive audio interview. Today is the 22nd of December 2009 and I’m talking with Bob Foster.  CEO of Stratex International.  Listed on the AIM Market, Mining Sector.  Stock ticker STI.  Share price 3.12 pence. Market cap £7.8 Million Sterling. Web address stratexinternational.com

Harry Norman: Thank you for joining us for this interview Bob.
Bob Foster: Harry it’s always a pleasure to talk to Proactive.

Please give investors a brief introduction to Stratex and the company’s business model.
We formed the company in 2004 and listed in 2006.  The major focus has been on Turkey, primarily gold. The major focus in more detail has been gold exploration.  But more recently we’ve recognised the importance of actually taking some of our projects to production.  That became particularly apparent at the beginning of this year when, like so many small companies, our share price really took a serious hammering.  And we had to remind our shareholders and our investors where we were going.

So effectively we have four strategies:

One is to put key projects into production.

The second is, with some of our better exploration projects, to minimise the exposure and the financial risk by bringing in good joint venture partners.

The third is the early stage exploration projects – to take those forward ourselves and we continually hope that one of these will develop into a major discovery.

And the fourth, and still some way off yet, but clearly it’s something we have an eye on, is the opportunity for some form of merger and acquisition where we can actually move up to the next level and really move things forward much more rapidly and with more substance.

What progress has been made with Stratex’s gold exploration projects at Altintepe and Inlice in Turkey?
Harry, we’ve identified a very appropriate joint venture partner – a Turkish, privately owned company called NTF with major expertise in civil engineering and earth moving and contract mining.  They’re earning into the projects by taking us through feasibility on both – to the tune of $2 Million on Inlice and, subject to a $1/2 Million scoping study, to the tune of $2 ½ Million on Altintepe.  This takes away a considerable amount of the financial and technical risk to us.  We’ve already started scoping studies and pre feasibility studies funded by our partners NTF on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding.  They’re funding it to the tune of at least $50,000 a month and the work is progressing very well.

We’re close to signing the definitive agreement.  The only delay there has been in relation to tax structures and the capital structure of the joint venture company.  That should be signed early in the New Year.  And they themselves, NTF, are committed to making mining their core business in the future, which gives us a great deal of comfort as well.

What convinced Teck Resources to enter a joint venture with Stratex for the Hasançelebi high-sulphidation gold project in central Turkey and what progress has been made there?
Well Harry you might remember that Teck in fact were a founder shareholder in our company before we even listed – and that was on the basis of a degree of recognition that David Hall the Chairman, and myself had been round the block many times and could contribute something significantly to any future exploration.  Of course we’ve brought on board now Bahri Yildiz in Turkey, our General Manager and Geologist, and we’re moving forward.

Teck invested in the Konya project and put $1½ Million into that.  No major drill intersections were returned and they decided that it probably wasn’t quite for them.  And also of course Teck themselves have been through a pretty difficult time over the last year, but have restructured and are moving forward pretty positively now.

I think having restructured and taken a new look at life, they’ve always had a major focus on Turkey with a strong team there.

They’ve looked at our Hasançelebi project and they share the view that we have, that it’s a very substantially aerially extensive project and has a lot of gold upside.  800 metres plus of gold-bearing rock.  And they’re committed to spending $1/2 Million by the end of the next year.  This expenditure will include at least 2,000 metres of drilling, which they and we see as key to actually taking this project forward.

They can acquire 51% [50% is as stated in the interview but should have been 51% - up to you if you have to stay with the reported 50%] by expending a total of $2 Million and then taking that to 70% by expending a further $3 Million.

The work has already started.  It will slow down during the winter months.  But they’re very positive about the project.

What progress has been made with Stratex’s joint venture with Centerra Gold for the oxide high-sulphidation gold project in Central Anatolia in Turkey, Bob?
Excellent progress.  Just like Teck Resources, we regard Centerra as an ideal joint venture partner.  Considerable technical expertise and the appropriate cash to help us all go forward.

At this stage they’ve spent their first committed $1/2 Million to undertake drilling and further exploration of the key Ortacam Zone within the project itself.  The outcome of that most recently has been the press release on the 42 metres returning at 2 grams per ton of gold.  We’ve found them very supportive in all we do.  They take an intelligent and direct interest. – technical interest – in what we’re doing.  There will be a slight downtime now as we review data and allow the snows to disappear and in March/April we will be up and running again and we look forward to taking this forward.

They have the option to expending a total of 3 Million to get to 50% – that’s US dollars – and a further 3 Million to get to 70%.

Bob do you still believe there are some significant gold deposits undiscovered in Turkey?
Without doubt – the country is still very under-explored.  It’s a huge country with all the right geology, as geologists will tell you.  It’s probably a case that we’ve found the most obvious gold deposits sticking out at the surface.  And perhaps an element of maturity here now – we have to start looking for signs for what might be beneath the surface.  At this stage it only has to be a few tens of metres.   Subtle geochemical signatures, geophysical signatures.  We believe the upside is still very high and, although we have begun to look elsewhere outside Turkey, it is still our major focus of exploration, and will remain so for some years to come.

Stratex recently acquired 5.6% of Ethiopia-focussed Sheba Exploration plus an earn into Sheba’s Shehagne project and a joint venture with Sheba for other projects in Ethiopia.  What’s so compelling about Ethiopia and Sheba Exploration? Well Ethiopia geology-wise is just as exciting, for slightly different reasons, as Turkey and without doubt it’s more under-explored than Turkey.

It has two different kinds of geological terrains.  One that is very old, that’s 700 to 1,000 million years old, and one that’s very young.  Sheba has been focussing its exploration on the northern parts of Ethiopia and some of the oldest rocks there, with some early discoveries or indications of gold.  We liked what they were doing.  We’d read their press releases.  We’d done a diligence on their projects, obviously with their approval.  And we saw this as an excellent opportunity to establish a firm footprint in the country based on underlying assets, which we would then develop in conjunction with our new joint venture partners, while also looking elsewhere.

I think a key point to make here Harry is that some of the ground held by Sheba in the northern part of the country is just across the border from discoveries in Eritrea, which are of very major significance.  Sunridge’s, base metal and gold discoveries and also of course Nevsun’s major Bisha copper-zinc-gold deposit as well.  So all the indications are very positive.

Stratex recently announced the first discovery of epithermal gold mineralisation in Ethiopia.  What is the significance of this discovery and is this prospect part of your joint venture with Sheba Exploration, Bob? This is outside our current relationship with Sheba.  It actually represents the combination of two years of conceptual thinking, modelling and wondering where to explore for this kind of gold mineralisation.  Our analogy really was some of the gold mineralisation of southern parts of South America, particularly the Cerro Vanguardia gold deposit, a major multi-million-ounce vein-type deposit formed when the Atlantic Ocean began to open.

If you can imagine in Eastern Ethiopia and through Kenya of course we have the East African Rift.  That is a very young ocean attempting to be formed.  It was an obvious place to go and in fact our first visits there by David Hall and our exploration team came up with some strong indications.  And so on that basis we are very very excited about it.

What is Stratex’s financial situation going forward Bob?
Comfortable.  Way back in 2007 we were fortunate enough to raise £7 Million at a time when the markets just began to tremble – and long before the major convulsions of mid late 2008.  Since then of course we’ve been putting the money primarily into exploration in Turkey – in some good exploration projects which we’re now funding by joint ventures, so that minimises our financial risk.  Taking our two gold projects forward in Turkey of course has minimised our financial and technical exposure.

We’re virtually cash neutral in terms of expenditure in Turkey.  This gives us the opportunity to look elsewhere.  Add to this the fact that signing the definitive agreement with our partners NTF will put another $1 Million in the bank. And exploring in Turkey and given a discovery we actually can claim back a significant amount of VAT, so we’re due back the best part of another $1 Million over the next year or so.

So we don’t have to turn to the markets now.  We will turn to the markets when we feel it’s appropriate.  We’ve been given to understand that the markets rather like what we’re doing and we could raise money.  But we’re in a happy position to be able to pick and choose the appropriate time – and perhaps the appropriate events around which to raise money.

What news flow can investors expect over the next twelve to eighteen months from Stratex Bob? I think it’s a very positive view to take here Harry.  Of course the joint venture with our partners NTF with Inlice and Altintepe going through feasibility and, all being well, into production.  There’s going to be a long strand of news flow as we undertake the infill drilling, update resources on both projects, and metallurgical test work etc.

The remainder of the exploration projects in Turkey – things will be a little quiet over the next two to three months.  But come March-April we’ll be seeing a complete ramp-up of the exploration there and, with our two joint venture partners funding projects and our own exploration, there will be a lot to report.

And of course Ethiopia climate-wise at the very least allows us to explore all the year round and, with our two major projects there with our partners Sheba and with our new project in the Rift Valley, there will be a continuous news flow from that region as well – so a lot of news. Source: (ProactiveInvestors)

The African Union is urging the United Nations to boost its support for Somalia’s fragile government in view of the rise of terrorist activity in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping calls the overall security situation in the Horn of Africa nation “unstable, volatile and challenging’.

In a report to the AU Peace and Security Council Friday, Ping notes several tragic security breakdowns in the past few months. The most recent was a suicide attack December 3 on a medical school graduation in Mogadishu that killed 25, including three government ministers. Another suicide attack in September on the headquarters of the AU peacekeeping mission, AMISOM, killed 20 people, mostly peacekeepers, including the deputy force commander.

Acting on Ping’s recommendation, the Council extended AMISOM’s mandate for another 12 months. The U.N. Security Council approved $210 million to fund the 5,200 AMISOM peacekeepers for the past seven months. But as the Council meets next week to review AMISOM funding levels, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra is calling for Somalia to be seen not just as a breeding ground for terrorists, but as part of a region dotted with troubled states such as Eritrea and Yemen.

“We look forward to more bold decisions within the UN Security Council so that engagement of the international community would be commensurate with the challenges. These are not limited to local challenges, they go beyond, to include piracy, international terrorism, and these are of a global nature,” said Lamamra.

U.N. Special Representative to Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah says several recent events have highlighted the Horn of Africa ’s growing significance as a hub in the global terror network.

“It is today becoming…a global crisis, and the latest developments in Mogadishu with killing of students by a Somali coming from Denmark, or an attempt against a journalist in Denmark, and before that in Kenya is showing that Somalia is a global crisis,” said Ould-Abdallah. “Note the importance British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has attached to Somalia, linking it clearly to developments coming from Afghanistan or Yemen,” he added.

The latest AU report notes security in Somalia is complicated by a fight between two rival insurgent groups for control of a lucrative port city. Both groups, al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam are said to have links with al-Qaida.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Nigerian man accused of trying to detonate a bomb on a Detroit-bound airliner Christmas Day had met a radical U.S. Muslim cleric in Yemen after being recruited by al-Qaida in London.

Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, is 250 kilometers from the northern coast of Somalia across the Gulf of Aden, the busy waterway that has been the scene of hijackings by Somali pirates. Source: (Voice of America)