2007年VOA标准英语-Puntland, Somali Government Rift Grows over Oil

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
21 August 2007

In a sign of a growing rift¹ between Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region and the country's interim² government, Puntland's president says he will not recognize a proposed oil law that nullifies any exploration deals struck after 1990. VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

The Somali interim parliament in Baidoa is expected to pass the controversial bill this week, which would have a direct impact on Puntland. 

Two years ago, the Puntland government signed a lucrative³ deal with Australia's Range Resources, giving the company exploratory rights to minerals and oil reserves in region. The clause in the interim government's oil bill nullifying any post-1990 deals would automatically cancel that deal and others being negotiated. 

Puntland officials say they are concerned that the bill will divert power and potential wealth away from the region.

Speaking on behalf of Puntland's president, Mohamed Adde Muse⁴, Chief of Cabinet Aidarus Osman Yusuf tells VOA that the president is willing to share the region's wealth with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu.  But he rejects the interim government's position that it owns Puntland's natural resources.

"The position of the president of Puntland is that we are recognizing, of course, the federal system of Somalia and the federal government," he said.  "But this is the right of the Puntland states to have such agreements with companies.   When we reach the level of production, then, we have to deal with the government.  So, we agree on that issue." 

Interim Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (R) with his PM Ali Mohamed Gedi during a media briefing in Mogadishu, 09 Jan 2007

Interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi told reporters last week that no deal would be considered valid⁵ until the new legislation is enacted⁶.  He has urged foreign companies to negotiate only with the interim government.

The prime minister says even a deal interim President Abdullahi Yusuf recently concluded with a Chinese company to explore for oil and gas in Puntland is subject to the new law.

In an interview with Reuters News Agency, the head of Puntland's Department of Minerals and Energy, Hassan Osman Mahmud, angrily warned that his government may end its relationship with the interim government in Mogadishu, if parliament passed the bill.

In 1998, seven years after Somalia descended⁷ into factional warfare⁸, Puntland declared autonomy with a view to reunite with southern and central Somalia in a federalist arrangement with a stable government in Mogadishu.

Since mid-July, Puntland has had 250 delegates attending a government-hosted national reconciliation⁹ conference in Mogadishu, aimed at ending the civil war and unifying¹⁰ the country.

But Nairobi-based political analyst¹¹ Barak Muluka says he believes Puntland and Somalia are moving further apart than ever.

"Somalia, in terms of stability, is very far from a peaceful settlement," he said.  "We are going to witness external forces and interests at play because there have been British and Australian interests in the oil concerns in Puntland.  Meanwhile, the TFG is not going to want to let go because this [oil] is a vital resource."

The relationship between Somalia and Puntland began deteriorating¹² two months ago, following Interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi's declaration that a fishing deal the Puntland president had signed with Yemen was not valid, because it did not have the interim government's consent.

1 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

2 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

3 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

4 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

5 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

6 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

8 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

11 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

12 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。