Puntland leader seeks Somalia president's approval for oil contract 7 Feb 7, 2008 - 10:59:42 AM
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Feb 7 (Garowe Online) - The leader of Somalia's semiautonomous state of Puntland is in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa where he plans to hold talks with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf regarding a controversial oil contract, sources tell Garowe Online.
Gen. Mohamud “Adde” Muse, the Puntland leader, has met with Ethiopian government officials in Addis Ababa since arriving there on Tuesday, with the two sides discussing bilateral trade and security relations.
Ethiopian officials told Muse and his delegation that “Ethiopian rebels” continue using Puntland's port of Bossaso to land weapons and other materials, the sources said.
The Ethiopian government has repeatedly accused Puntland of allowing the ethnic Somali rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), of using Bossaso port.
In recent weeks, Somali traders based in Ethiopia's Somali Region who have business operations in Puntland have complained about Ethiopian troops along the border.
The Ethiopian army has deployed extra troops along border regions with Puntland, partially handicapping the Puntland-Somali Region trade route, which is centered around the port of Bossaso, traders said.
But a major part of Gen. Muse's trip to Ethiopia is linked to direct talks with Somali President Yusuf, who arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday after a weeks-long medical stay in London.
Muse is hoping to persuade Yusuf to officially sign off on a 2005 oil contract, giving Australia-based Range Resources, Ltd., and its Canadian partner, Africa Oil, exploration rights in the Puntland regions.
Africa Oil executives have demanded President Yusuf's signature as a prerequisite to handing out payments to Puntland and Range, as per the Range-Africa Oil partnership deal.
It is not clear whether or not President Yusuf will sign the contract, but members of Muse's administration recently failed to convince Yusuf to approve the deal.
Africa Oil's demand for the Somali president's signature is linked to Range's inability to push forward the exploration agenda due to several factors, including opposition from the Somali federal government.
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