puntland ratifies exploration agreement

• GAROWE, Somalia July 12 (Garowe Online)

THE PUNTLAND Parliament formally ratified an exploration agreement on Wednesday presented by the Administration in a majority vote. The "Puntland Agreement" was signed in mid-2005 between the Puntland State government and Range Resources, Ltd., an Australian exploration company.

After 2 days of debate, 55 Puntland lawmakers out of a total of 66 ratified the "Agreement" – a day after President Mohamud "Adde" Muse addressed Parliament and informed them of changes to an article in the "Agreement." On Tuesday, President Adde told legislators that the "exclusive rights" article was removed from the original contract, which allows Puntland to be divided into "blocks" and that "other companies" are welcome to explore the region's rumored natural resources wealth.

Efforts to implement the "Puntland Agreement" were met with heavy resistance from local populations in the past, which prompted the Administration's change of policy in seeking parliamentary approval.

Garowe Online