Chalice intersects massive sulphides at Mogoraib North

10m interval within broader 41m down-hole intersection of stringer and disseminated sulphides

Symbol: ASX: CHN TSX: CXN Shares outstanding: 250 million Fully diluted: 255 million

PERTH, Western Australia, Oct. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Chalice Gold Mines Limited (ASX: CHN; TSX: CXN) is pleased to advise that it has intersected a zone of massive pyritic sulphides with significant copper and zinc values in drilling at its Mogoraib North Project in Eritrea, East Africa (Chalice - 60%; Eritrean National Mining Corporation (ENAMCO) - 40%).

Diamond drill hole MOGD-00021, part of a regional drilling program targeting potential Volcanic Hosted Massive Sulphide ("VHMS") systems similar to the world-class Bisha Mine (Nevsun 60%: ENAMCO 40%) located 15km to the south, has intersected a 10 metre interval of massive pyritic sulphides within a broader 41 metre wide zone of stringer and disseminated sulphides (Figure 3).

The massive sulphides are hosted by a sequence of altered mafic rhyolitic and andesitic volcanics and contain visually identified chalcopyrite (copper iron sulphide) and sphalerite (zinc sulphide) (Plate 1).

Systematic Niton-XRF readings on 10 cm centres along the section 145.3m to 155.5m (10.2m interval) averaged 1.07% copper and 2.25% zinc (see cautionary note below).

Chalice's current drilling program is targeting Volcanic Hosted Massive Sulphide ("VHMS") systems similar to the Bisha, Harena and Hambok deposits to the south of Mogoraib North and is based on the commonly developed clustering of such deposits.

The new prospect lies along the interpreted Bisha geological trend, 15km north of the Bisha operations as shown in Figure 1. The characteristics of the sulphide mineralisation encountered in the Company's discovery hole (MOGD-00021) indicate a VHMS affinity.

The prospect currently being targeted is one of numerous bedrock conductor targets generated by a 3,825km Versatile Time-domain EM ("VTEM") survey flown by Chalice in 2011. In May 2012, following modelling and further refining and ranking of these targets, the Company embarked on a 5,000m diamond drilling program to systematically test these targets.

The VTEM anomaly tested by MOGD-00021, T209, is one conductor anomaly along a 4km strike length which hosts three other similar conductor anomalies (Figure 2). Several of these, including T209, are associated with coincident or adjacent gravity anomalies (Figure 4).

The Company is currently re-modeling the identified conductor targets within this zone based on the results from MOGD-00021 and will commence follow-up drilling immediately along strike. Sulphide-rich sections of the core from MOGD-00021 have been cut and assaying for a full multi-element suite will be expedited.

In addition, the Company will conduct a detailed ground gravity survey over the prospective 4km strike of the T209 cluster and is planning ground EM surveys as soon as appropriate equipment can be sourced.

Executive Chairman, Tim Goyder, said:

"This is an exciting moment for the Company. We applied for the Mogoraib North tenement on the basis of strong geological rational that alluvium covered areas to the north of Bisha should be prospective for VHMS mineralisation. The intersection in MOGD-00021 validates this belief and we look forward to undertaking further drilling to determine the extent of mineralisation and economic potential of this newly discovered zone."

Cautionary Note Mineralised drill core is being analysed using the portable Niton XLT hand-held XRF analyser (Niton). Chalice is confident to use the Niton as an indicator only of base metal mineralisation to report exploration results. Chalice's Niton procedure is to orientate and geologically log drill core and then use the Niton instrument to record spot readings taken over a 30 second period for a range of elements every 10-15cm. Results are averaged for intervals of drill core and reported on a minimum width of 1m. Full assays of half-cut NQ drill core (47mm diameter) will then be analysed by a commercial assay laboratory. The results provided here should not be relied upon other than as an initial indicator of significant levels of base metals in the core tested.

Competent Persons and Qualified Person Statement The information in this news release that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Dr Doug Jones, a full-time employee and Director of Chalice Gold Mines Limited, who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and is a Chartered Professional Geologist. Dr Jones has sufficient experience in the field of activity being reported to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2004 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Minerals Resources and Ore Reserves, and is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - 'Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects'. The Qualified Person has verified the data disclosed in this release, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information contained in this release. Dr Jones consents to the release of information in the form and context in which it appears here.

Forward Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and Chalice Gold Mines Limited (the Company) does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law or regulation.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, the likelihood of exploration success, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, success of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims and limitations on insurance coverage.

In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of mineral resources; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Sampling Procedures and Quality Assurance Diamond drill core is logged and photographed prior to splitting with a core saw. One half of the core is retained on site whilst the other half is bagged and dispatched to the Africa Horn Preparation facility (a division of NATA‐accredited Intertek‐Genalysis Laboratories) in Asmara for crushing to ‐2mm and splitting. Certified reference materials (CRMs) are submitted with all sample batches at the rate of 1 per 20‐25 routine samples. The CRM's inserted have values ranging from very low to high grade. The coarse reject is stored and the split sub‐sample is pulverized to a nominal 95% passing ‐75 micron using an LM2 pulverizer.

The pulverized pulp is further split into two 100g to 150g sub‐samples; a primary pulp sample is sent for analysis and a duplicate pulp sample is kept as a reference and the remaining fine (-75 micron) reject is stored. A quartz wash is pulverized between samples and is stored for random testing of preparation contamination.

The sample pulps are transported by air to NATA‐accredited Intertek‐Genalysis Laboratories in Perth Western Australia for assay. For drill core and RC samples used for resource analysis the majority of gold assaying is completed using a lead collection of 50g fire assay method with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish. Additional specified multi‐element assays are carried out by ICP‐OES on 25g sub‐sample prepared using aqua regia digest. Bulk density determinations using water immersion method are carried out on every metre of core within expected mineralisation and every 10m within waste zones. QA/QC monitoring is applied to all drill core assays as per the protocols described above.

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Eritrea urges Kenya to lift visa ban on its nationals

Eritrean President Isaias Aferwerki has requested Kenya to lift a visa referral demand slapped on its nationals after the expiry of a visa abolition agreement between the two countries. In a special message delivered to President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi Monday, the Eritrean government requested Nairobi to review the demand, according to a statement issued by the President’s office.

President Kibaki said the request would be acted upon by the foreign ministry.

The Kenyan government said it reinstated a visa referral regime on Eritrean nationals visiting the country following the expiry of an earlier agreement.

Eritrean truck drivers and travellers were among those affected by the agreement, which saw most of at least 300 truck drivers stranded on the Ugandan side of the common border due to the implementation of the deal.

Kenya has been acting tough on the security front after a series of attacks by the Al Shabaab, which Eritrea has been accused of backing.

The Eritrean long distance drivers have been stranded for over a month, citing the delay in receiving clearance from Asmara and Nairobi.

Eritrean envoy to Kenya, Beyane Russom, delivered the special message from his President and held talks with the Kenyan leader.

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South Sudan plans mediation between Ethiopia and Eritrea

(Reuters) - Newly independent South Sudan plans to help resolve the long-running border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a senior official said on Wednesday.

South Sudan's minister for cabinet affairs, Deng Alor, said Addis Ababa and Asmara had given the green light for mediation talks on the border, which could start as early as November.

"We have close ties with both countries so we are planning to mediate and solve the problems that they have between them," Deng Alor, South Sudan's minister for cabinet affairs, told Reuters.

Ethiopian and Eritrean officials were not available to comment. Ethiopia has said its conflict with Asmara over the demarcation of their shared border following a 1998-2000 war would be solved only through a negotiated settlement.

South Sudan is still embroiled in its own frontier argument with its northern neighbour, Sudan. The two countries broke apart last year under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.

Alor said South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and other senior officials were set to name a delegation "very soon" that would travel to both capitals.

"We will embark on rounds of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries. We are hoping to start in November," Alor said.

A Hague-based boundary commission awarded the flashpoint frontier village of Badme to Eritrea in 2002. But Ethiopia has yet to conform with the ruling, insisting on further negotiations on its implementation.

Asmara wants Ethiopia to pull its troops out before normalising relations.

The two countries nearly returned to war in March when Addis Ababa launched cross-border attacks in Eritrea on what it said were rebel targets.

Both countries routinely accuse each other of backing dissidents to destabilise and topple the other's government. Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi died in August.

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Uganda pulling out of Somalia, PM tells Parliament

Ugandan Government has resolved to withdraw all Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) troops in Somalia and other peacekeeping missions in Africa, Premier Amama Mbabazi told Parliament.

Mr Mbabazi told the House on Thursday night the troops would instead be deployed to protect Uganda’s eastern border with DR Congo.

The Prime Minister made the statement while reading a response to the Leader of Opposition’s question on how Uganda was handling the DR Congo question in respect of the leaked UN report that Kampala was aiding the M23 rebels.

Mr Mbabazi said that Uganda had sent ICT minister Ruhakana Rugunda to the UN with a protest letter dismissing what he termed as “a UN amateurs report” on Kampala’s involvement in the DR Congo, and failure by the Western powers to recognise Uganda’s contribution to peace in the region.

It is in the letter that Uganda said it would withdraw from all peacekeeping missions to protect itself from possible invasion from DR Congo and UN sponsored terrorists.

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Merhawi Kudu wins Engen Dynamic Challenge Port Elizabeth

Merhawi Kudu of World Cycling Centre Africa (WCCA), made history when he won the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge in Port Elizabeth on Sunday 21 October. Kudu made his move in the final 5km of the race, held at the Aldo Scribante race track.

The race was under threat to be cancelled due to the inclement weather the friendly city had been under for the last few days. Heavy rain fall had caused a number of roads to be closed and meant that the 100km race could not start at the Altona Primary School and for safety reasons the mass event had to be cancelled.

Organisers though were able to make an alternative arrangement by making use of the Aldo Scribante race track. The race, originally scheduled to be a 100km in line with the series distance was changed to 150km upon request of the pro teams. That meant that the riders would do 60 laps of the 2.5km circuit.

To keep the tempo up, sprint primes were added. Every alternate ten laps a prime of R500 was up for grabs for the leaders and the bunch. This added a new dynamic to the racing and ensured that the teams didn’t merely race to set up the finish for their sprinters.

With 15 laps to go, a group of 12 riders were able to open a gap of 1minute 45seconds on the peleton and it was curious to see that none of the proverbial big teams, such as MTN-Qhubeka, Bonitas and Tasol had more than one rider in the main break.

Instead it was the likes of Cape Town based Nu Water, WCCA and the Klerksdorp based team of Westvaal that had made the jump and this played into the hands of Merhawi Kudu. Thewin is the first for the UCI African development team and will have given them a massive boost.

“Our team is currently in training for the Africa Championships in November and Bonitas and MTN-Qhubeka have had a long season,” said WCCA Team Manager JP van Zyl. “So we had the distance in the legs and with two laps to go I told Merhawi to go. And he did”

Team Bonitas won the most primes (3) with Tasol winning two. The rest were split up amongst the rest of the riders. The race cut short by five laps as the intemperate weather coming in again had caused the safety officers to be wary and rather shorten the race.

WCCA are now also on top of the Series rankings, six points ahead of Team MTN-Qhubeka, with Westvaal Delta -BMC in third.

The third and final leg of the Engen Dynamic Cycle Challenge will take place in Durban at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 11 November.

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Eritrea Calls for Lifting of Sanctions

A political advisor to Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says most permanent members of the U.N. Security Council want to lift sanctions against his country.

“It’s only fair that these sanctions be lifted because the rationale for them, which were not correct to begin with, has now been found to be totally untenable,” said Yemane Gebreab, who also is head of political affairs office at the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

“It’s not only Eritrea that is seeking it but also many members of the Security Council also favor it. But we will see what will happen as the United States remains adamant in maintaining sanctions against Eritrea.”

Gebreab cited China, Russia and South Africa, as well as other Security Council members that he said have expressed their support for the sanctions to be lifted.

“It’s not only those countries; the majority of the members of the Security Council also believe that the time has come to lift these sanctions,” he said.

The Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 over concerns the government in Asmara had provided funds and weapons to the militant Somali Islamist group, al Shabab. Eritrea denied the allegations.

But in a later report released later, U.N. experts said Eritrea had begun reducing its support for the Somali militant group, which the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization.

Gebreab also spoke about alleged links between Eritrea and human trafficking, an issue U.S. President Barack Obama brought up in a speech last month.

“I recently renewed sanctions on some of the worst abusers, including North Korea and Eritrea,” Mr. Obama told the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in September. “We’re partnering with groups that help women and children escape from the grip of their abusers. We’re helping other countries step up their own efforts. And we’re seeing results. More nations have passed and more are enforcing modern anti-trafficking laws.”

But Gebreab denied any connect ion between Eritrea’s and human trafficking.

“In fact, Eritrea is a victim of human trafficking,” Gebreab said. “For a number of years now, some people have felt that one way that they could weaken Eritrea would be by encouraging Eritrean youths to leave the country in larger numbers.”

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Burundi, Eritrea, Haiti top 2012 global hunger index

Twenty countries have "alarming" or "extremely alarming" levels of hunger with Burundi the worst affected, followed by Eritrea and Haiti, according to this year's Global Hunger Index which examines the problem of producing more food with fewer resources.

Demographic changes, increases in income, climate change and poor policies are worsening a shortage of natural resources like land, water and energy that threatens food production, the accompanying report said.

"It is an absolute must that we start now to produce more food using fewer resources and to use the harvest more efficiently. But we also face the reality that decades of effort and rhetoric have so far failed to eradicate hunger," the foreword to the report said.

Progress in reducing the proportion of hungry people in the world has been "tragically slow" and 20 countries are experiencing "alarming" or "extremely alarming" hunger levels, the report said.

About 12.5 percent of the world's population, one in every eight people, is chronically undernourished, according to new figures unveiled by the United Nations' food agencies this week.

The U.N. agencies said 868 million people were hungry in 2010-2012, down more sharply than previously estimated from about 1 billion, or 18.6 percent of the global population, in 1990-92.

South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa continue to face the highest levels of hunger, the Global Hunger Index report said.

But because of time lags in obtaining data, the report does not reflect last year's hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa or the unfolding food emergency in West Africa's semi-arid Sahel region.

The index, now in its seventh year, combines three indicators – the proportion of the population that is undernourished, the proportion of young children who are underweight and the mortality rate for under-fives.

Among its recommendations, the report calls for:

• smallholder land and water rights to be secured
• subsidies for fuels and fertiliser to be phased out
• technical solutions that conserve natural resources to be scaled up

The report, compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide is released ahead of World Food Day on Oct. 16.

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Eritrea releases Egyptian ship captain after seven months

Eritrean authorities released Wednesday an Egyptian ship captain who was arrested seven months ago after sailing into Eritrea's territorial waters.

According to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, the captain, Mohamed al-Helaisy, steered the boat into Eritrean waters to mend the vessel after it broke down.

Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted the Egyptian Ambassador to Eritrea Mahmoud Nayel as saying that authorities agreed to free Helaisy in response to Egyptian Foreign Ministry requests.

Helaisy was arrested when Eritrean authorities spotted a ship flying a British flag and carrying an international crew, the ambassador said.

Privately-owned Al-Sabah newspaper reported that Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr sent a letter to his Eritrean counterpart requesting Helaisy's release. According to the paper, the Foreign Ministry contacted Helaisy's family in Cairo on a regular basis to inform them of developments.

The Egyptian Embassy staff in Eritrea accompanied Helaisy to the airport, Al-Sabah reported.

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Zersenay Tadese wins his Fifth Gold Medal at the World Half Marathon Championships

By Steven Mills 

The World Half-Marathon Championships to Zersenay Tadese is what the World Cross Country Championships is to Kenenisa Bekele. The Eritrean proved it again today as he won his fifth World Half gold medal in hot conditions in Kavarna.

The decisive factor in determining the outcome was Tadese’s second 5km of 13:43 which splintered the sizeable leading group. At 5km in 14:22, the leading thirty athletes were covered by four seconds but 1:47 now separated the first thirty runners at 10km as Tadese surged through in 28:05.

Tadese kept the pressure on as he passed 15km in 42:16 which meant he covered the previous 10km in a very respectable 27:54. His advantage had stretched from eight seconds at 10km to 29 seconds at 15km over Pius Kirop from Kenya.

Even though the former four-time champion slowed through 20km in 57:11, Tadese’s lead had stretched to 33 seconds ahead of Ethiopian marathoner Deresse Chimsa while Kirop dropped back to third.

After suffering his first half-marathon defeat since 2003 in the last edition of this race in 2010, Tadese confirmed he’s still almost unbeatable over 13.1 miles as he claimed his fifth gold medal in a winning time of 60:19.

Chimsa, a sub-2:06 marathoner, claimed Ethiopia’s first individual medal in this race since 2001 with silver in a PB of 60:51 while John Mwangangi overhauled a tiring Kirop for the bronze medal.

With four runners in the top six, Kenya took some consolation by winning the team race from Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Little-known Hailu wins women’s contest

The Kenyans arrived with the fastest athletes on paper in the women’s race but the Ethiopians, as was also the common theme during the Olympics, prevailed over their Rift Valley rivals with a one-two.

Pasalia Kipkoech started as the arguable pre-event favourite on the basis of a recent 67:17 PB and the former world youth silver medallist controlled the pace for much of the contest. But after an opening 10km of 32:21 (68:15 half-marathon tempo), the pace started to slow which gave confidence to the other contenders in the lead pack.

A group of five athletes passed through 15km in 48:51 (68:42 half-marathon pace) but tellingly, Kipkoech surrendered the lead for the first time in the race through 20km in 65:41. A 16:50 split – by far the slowest of the race – was evidence Kipkoech was feeling the strain.

Feysa Tadese, fourth in the last edition of the race in 2010, was the first to push on and she was joined by her lesser known team-mate Meseret Hailu. The latter proved to have the better finishing speed as she forged to the front in the final 200m.

It looked like Tadese might have timed her effort the better but Hailu held on to claim the title in a PB of 68:55. Her winning margin of one second was the smallest in the history of these championships and she became just the second Ethiopian winner of this title after Berhane Adere’s initial triumph a decade ago.

While she might not be a household name, Hailu had some pedigree despite a modest 71:18 PB as she defeated Florence Kiplagat at the start of the year in the Egmond aan Zee half-marathon.

Kipkoech came away with bronze in 69:04 ahead of team-mate Lydia Cheromei in 69:13. Emebet Etea rounded off the top-five in a PB of 70:01 to ensure Ethiopia also took top honours in the team race.

British duo Gemma Steel and Caryl Jones both delivered stellar performances and they were the only European finishers in the top-10. Steel was the first non-African finisher in seventh in 71:09 while Jones, on her international debut, was tenth in 71:52.

In temperatures which hovered around 30C, both athletes were only marginally shy of their respective PBs of 70:46 and 71:18 set in the Great North Run last month.

Susan Partridge finished 22nd in 73:55 to help Britain to fourth in the team race.

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UN Secretary-General’s Report on Eritrea

On 29 August, the Secretary-General reissued the report on Eritrea (S/2012/412) initially circulated to Council members on 8 June. In resolution 2023 of 5 December 2011 (which condemned Eritrean violations of resolutions 1844, 1862 and 1907 and imposed new measures to prevent Eritrea from using the diaspora tax or revenues from its mining sector to commit further violations), the Council had requested the Secretary-General to report on Eritrea’s compliance with the provisions of that as well as previous relevant resolutions. 

While it is not uncommon for the Secretary-General to reissue reports for “technical reasons” (usually followed by an asterisk at the end of the document symbol), in this case the new version had been significantly revised, replacing the 8 June report altogether with no indication in the new document that it was reissued. The withdrawal and later revision of the original report seem to be surrounded by some controversy and further analysis may be of interest. 

As reported in our July Monthly Forecast, soon after receiving the Secretary-General’s report on Eritrea on 8 June, Council members were informed in a letter that it had been withdrawn. The official explanation was that it needed to be revised because of some omissions in the first version and that it would be reissued later in the month. 

The withdrawal of the report seems to have caused some consternation among Council members. Most members seemed to agree that the report did not offer much added value (it was seen as providing a summary of already known facts), but they were not satisfied with the explanation offered for the withdrawal even after it was discussed with the Secretariat in informal consultations under other matters. The Secretariat apparently alluded to the fact that the report had not met Council members’ expectations.

While the matter was not openly discussed, it seemed widely understood that these complaints came from the US and that the Secretariat had been under pressure to withdraw the 8 June report. In particular, it appears the US argued that any reference to the lack of progress in the implementation of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) would be outside the Secretary-General’s reporting mandate. (It should be noted that it was apparently the US that initially pushed for resolution 2023 to include the request for a report, whereas other members were less convinced about the usefulness of asking the Secretary-General to report on something that was essentially one of the main tasks of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.) 

When comparing the two versions of the report (both can be found on our website at www.securitycouncilreport.org), one of the differences is indeed that the 29 August report contains no reference to the unresolved border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea as a relevant issue, whereas the 8 June report in paragraph 44 states that “The lack of progress in the implementation of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission continues to negatively affect the multifaceted and complex regional dynamics in the Horn of Africa and the normalization of relations between the two countries. A comprehensive approach should be adopted by states in the region, IGAD [the Intergovernmental Authority on Development], the African Union and the United Nations to address the broader aspects of the conflict in the region, including the long-standing border stalemate.”

Apart from this, a main difference is that the 29 August report is considerably shorter than the first report (four pages instead of eight). The descriptive part is shorter and has been updated to reflect the conclusions of the report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, which came out on 13 July (S/2012/545). Both versions emphasise that the Secretariat “does not have independent means of assessing Eritrea’s compliance with the provisions of resolution 2023.” The 29 August version also notes that “the report of the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group provides authoritative information on Eritrea’s record of compliance with the provisions in resolution 2023.” 

Among Council members there was clearly some unease about the procedural aspects of the handling of the report, with some describing it as unprecedented. There was also concern about the future impact of perceptions that the Secretariat had given in to outside pressure. At this point, however, there does not seem to be any interest in pursuing these issues further. Also from a more substantive point of view, Council members seem to agree that the report does not merit further consideration. As is clear from its conclusions, the report adds little to the analysis already presented by the Monitoring Group, whose report was thoroughly discussed in July by the 751 and 1907 Sanctions Committee on Somalia and Eritrea.

The Monitoring Group reported that it found no evidence that Eritrea was directly supporting the terrorist group Al-Shabaab but that in all other respects Eritrea had failed to comply with Council resolutions and remained a destabilising force in the region. Following these discussions, the US proposed six additional sanctions listings for approval by the Sanctions Committee, including two Eritrean nationals: Tewolde Habte Negash and Abraham Goitom. (The same individuals were designated for sanctions by the US Department of Treasury on 5 July.) So far, Council members have agreed to designate only two of the six that were proposed. There is a hold by some members on the other four, including the two Eritreans, and it seems unlikely that the hold on the latter will be lifted any time soon. Also, it appears there are some differences in the Committee over the Monitoring Group’s recommendation to send a letter to Eritrea to request information on Djiboutian prisoners of war, with Russia having refused to agree to a draft letter proposed by India in its capacity as Committee chair. 

Source: SecurityCouncilReport.org

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Eritrea and Republic of Sudan sign Memorandum of Understanding regarding mutual cooperation in the mining sector

Eritrea and the Republic of Sudan today signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Asmara Palace Hotel regarding mutual cooperation in the mining sector.

Mr. Ahmed Haj Ali, Minister of Energy and Mines, and his Sudanese counterpart, Mr. Kamal Abdullateef, Minister of Minerals signed the Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to the fostering of cooperation in the establishment and strengthening of mineralogical as well as geochemical laboratories and training of experts, in addition to the gathering and exchange of information, among others. It is due to have an impact on endeavors on the part of both countries to ensure sustainable development of the mining sector on the basis of removing barriers.

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Mr. Ahmed Haj Ali told Erina that it is vital in the strengthening of the prevailing bilateral relations between the two countries, and that Eritrea would take part in a conference regarding the mining industry of the Arab countries due to take place in the Republic of Sudan next month.

Mr. Kamal Abdullateef on his part said that the Memorandum of Understanding is valuable for both countries to ensure mutual integration in this regard, and thereby effectively harness mineral resources with a view to supplementing sustainable development of both countries.

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Oqubit Berhane wins The 7th edition of Stralugano race

Stralugano 2012: results and standings

It is fate that when there is Africa pinning the bib on your shirt in a foot race, the outcome of the race is doomed. The 7th edition of Stralugano no exception and crowns Oqubit Berhane , 34-year-old Eritrean, who crosses the finish line of 30 km in 1h36.08, while among women is the Kenyan Sang Chelangat to deserve the title of queen, thanks to a powerful final the door to win solo in 1h50.50. He competed in good condition although the high humidity did not allow the first to attack the course record held by Moroccan Rachid Kirsi (1h30.32) and the Italian Ivana Iozzia (1h47.30).

Stralugano success!

Opening the festival Stralugano was the mayor Giorgio Giudici, present with the municipal Angelo Jelmini, while the start of the race gave him the guest of honor, the strong marathon Italian Ruggero Pertile, 8. the recent GO London. A record breaking event, the Stralugano this year, with over 3600 people at the start, half a thousand more than the previous edition. The main race followed a script now known, with all the best in the lead immediately and with a clear advantage on the immediate pursuers. At 10. Km (33.15 passage) pass seven: the brothers Slimani, the two Kenyans Kiplimo and Kurui, Eritrean and Ethiopian Hamid and Oqubit Asfaw. This compact little group goes up to 16. km, where a change of pace Kiplimo respond only Oqubit and Kurui. New acceleration of rips and Pambio Noranco, this time by Oqubit seems to have an edge over the others and takes the lead. The advantage increases in the last kilometers and the Eritrean athlete, third a week ago in "half" of Uster (closed 1h04.24) won with arms raised, in front of compatriot Hamid, author of a great comeback in the final, and the Kenyan Kiplimo. Christian Puricelli is the first Ticino and closes with a discreet 1h52.08, 18 seconds before Silvano Turati , while one third are Jonathan Stampanoni . In the popular 10 km (a beautiful colorful snake invaded the streets of the city where he competed, among others, the State Councillor Paul Beltraminelli) victory among males for Moroccan Lhoussaine Oukrid who finished in 30.46, with Massimo Maffi seventh. In the women's record instead of the splendid affirmation ofJeannette Bragagnolo (37.33) of St. Anthony and the second place of the Ticino Rosalba Rossi .

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