http://www.gulfkeystone.com/ The firms exploration programme in Algeria is going well and "the shares look good value", say the Investors Chronicle. Your comments please. goal.

Appointment of Non-Executive Director


Gulf Keystone is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Hanson as a Non-Executive Director effective immediately.

Mark Anthony Crump Hanson, 58, who is a qualified barrister and solicitor, was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Global Banking Corporation in Bahrain from 2006 to 2008.

Mark brings with him extensive regulatory and corporate governance experience having served as a director on several boards and having advised a number of clients in the Middle and Far East during his 34 year career. His experience includes the listing in Hong Kong and New York of Shanghai Petrochemical Company, the first mainland upstream Chinese oil company to list outside of the People's Republic of China, and oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia.

Previous roles include Chief Executive of Bain Securities Limited, Managing Director of Peregrine Capital Limited, Deputy CEO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and COO of Crosby Financial Holdings. In addition, Mark was responsible for the establishment of ABN AMRO's investment banking and equity capital market operations in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on today's appointment, Todd Kozel, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said:

"As part of the implementation of our forward strategy, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Hanson as a Non-Executive Director. Mark's significant experience in the areas of corporate governance, corporate finance and listing matters will undoubtedly contribute to the further strengthening of our Board which now includes four Non-Executive Directors. We look forward to working with Mark as we continue to explore, appraise and develop our world class acreage in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."

There is no other information that is required to be disclosed with regards to the above mentioned appointment pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules, save as set out below:

And as the man said?

ork in progress proceeeds as normal and as JG stated last week -

"Even though we're running the business like we're gonna be there forever, we have to be prepared for the probability, or at least the very strong probability that we're gonna get bought".

Frankly, you lot are clutching at straws....perhaps a bid might come but there is that court case...and that needs to be cleared up first...

IF any company is to be taken out in the region, then GKP must surely be a favourite .... i note sp has slipped this morning which certainly lends credence to that bid rumour!

There is not just GKP...AFR look like a huge target...just can't count on it....

AFR is still primarily a west africa developer, but it's a very good company with all sorts of possibilities ahead for it

I'm having to wait with my positions....I'm praying that an upsurge is to come....

not today old bean - ftse now down 56

You've done the right thing by remaining in cash....I got carried away at the start of the year with what I thought was low sp's and now I'm having to be patient !.

GKP now tumbling big time ..... unsure if it's just pi's being forced to liquidate or something more sinister

no news of any kind on reuters etc, so reckon it's most likely to be be pi positions being liquidated and/or s/b contracts expiring = much the same

sp finishing well considering relatively low volume - mainly buys

T/Overs, in an video the KRG representative stated that he expected the number of companies operating would be reduced from around 40 to about 20.He made a comment something like Small is Beautiful.but Large is now needed?

Make of this what you like?



From lse board. China arriving?



Midnight here now in Shanghai
Today 16:08


I come to UK onThusday 1st Dec.

Watch for Sinapec in Erbil Friday 2nd Dec .

Hold for weekend....don't short on Friday.......been a long time coming but now too much pressure for M and S.

More news underground here than in London.

I am only an amateur PI ( you all know that already and I don't post often) . Shanghai is an international Buzz shop!!!

Another message from Shanghai that I get from a senior International banker friend here is that you all probably know is to change all your Euro investments into Pounds or RMB ASAP. (not US$).

Good Luck All and Hold Tight for now.

loadsa shit - just what's needed for the garden, though i use my own!

You can take that two ways cynic lol.

1. Loadsa shit makes plants grow well in the garden.

2. What, you use your own? Do explain? lol I guess you have some animals.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/274875/

Kurdish Representative: Oil Ministry's actions against Exxon illegal
27/11/2011 14:27
BAGHDAD, Nov. 27 (AKnews) - Representative Bayazid Hassan, a Kurdish member of the Council's Oil and Energy Committee, claimed that the federal Oil Ministry is not allowed to put Exxon Mobil on a blacklist for its contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The announcements of the Oil Ministry's Contracts and Licenses Department were political threats and not legal measures, Hassan said.

"Companies are put on blacklists for violating the law and the terms of the contract. When a company makes a deal with the Kurdistan Region -- which is a part of Iraq -- it can not be against the law," Hassan said.

Exxon Mobil, the Texas-based hydrocarbon corporation, signed an exploration agreement with the KRG to start drilling in six fields. This has dropped the supermajor right in the middle of a battle between the KRG and the federal government in Baghdad.

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein al-Shahristani gave Exxon Mobil the choice either to work in the West Qurna field or the fields of Kurdistan, thus threatening to cancel existing contracts with the U.S. supermajor.

The Iraqi Oil Ministry said Saturday that it will prevent Exxon Mobil from participating in the fourth oil licensing round if Exxon does not cancel its contracts with the KRG. Abdul Mahdi al-Amidi, Director General of the Contracts and Licenses Department, said that Exxon Mobil violated the working laws of the Oil Ministry when it contracted with KRG.

"The Ministry is waiting for an the official response from the company before it will be completely prevented from working in Iraqi oil fields," Amidi said.

In the past Baghdad has prevented companies operating in the Kurdistan Region from participating in licensing rounds to develop Iraqi oil fields. Other supergiant oil companies working in southern Iraq, like BP and Royal Dutch Shell, have held off from moving into Kurdistan Region for fear of antagonizing the Iraqi government.

By Wisam Mohammed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/business-15911337

http://link.ft.com/r/P75VYY/EXJ5W4/4M4S/GDI5A1/8ZY7CD/4O/h?a1=2011&a2=11&a3=28

iii--cheers bbbs

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Date posted

today 07:45



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Re: What will they think in Hong Kong? View parent message



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I'm surprised that most seem to have over-looked the thought processes behind GKP's selection of their second new NED. The RNS of 25th November 2011, 'Appointment of Non-Executive Director', contained just three paragraphs of pertinent data as follows:

=============

"Mark Anthony Crump Hanson, 58, who is a qualified barrister and solicitor, was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Global Banking Corporation in Bahrain from 2006 to 2008.

Mark brings with him extensive regulatory and corporate governance experience having served as a director on several boards and having advised a number of clients in the Middle and Far East during his 34 year career. His experience includes the listing in Hong Kong and New York of Shanghai Petrochemical Company, the first mainland upstream Chinese oil company to list outside of the People's Republic of China, and oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia.

Previous roles include Chief Executive of Bain Securities Limited, Managing Director of Peregrine Capital Limited, Deputy CEO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and COO of Crosby Financial Holdings. In addition, Mark was responsible for the establishment of ABN AMRO's investment banking and equity capital market operations in Saudi Arabia."

=============

Each paragraph paints a distinctly 'Eastern' flavour. Let's cut to the chase - Hong Kong is THE place where China does business with the rest of the world:


- Paragraph 1: "Mark Anthony Crump Hanson, 58, who is a qualified barrister and solicitor ..."

Ok then, how well is he qualified and WHERE is he qualified? The answer is "He is a qualified barrister and solicitor in four jurisdictions (New Zealand, the United Kingdom, HONG KONG and Australia)":
http://people.forbes.com/profile/mark-hanson/138470


- Paragraph 2: "His experience includes the listing in Hong Kong and New York of Shanghai Petrochemical Company, the first mainland upstream Chinese oil company to list outside of the People's Republic of China".

FFS people, this is MASSIVE. Do you not realise that Shanghai Petrochemical Company is one and the same as SINOPEC:
http://english.sinopec.com/about_sinopec/subsidiaries/subsidiaries_joint_ventures/20080326/3079.shtml

Mark Hanson was THE man that brought China's first NOC to the rest of the world. He MUST know SINOPEC inside out - he only listed them in both Hong Kong and New York!


- Paragraph 3: "Previous roles include ... Deputy CEO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange"

Lovely understatement - was that you Ewen? A more complete description of his role in Hong Kong would be "He was later appointed Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Listings at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where he was instrumental in developing the Exchange's post 1997 strategy, negotiating with the Chinese authorities prior to Hong Kong's return to China. The Governor of Hong Kong recognized Mark's contribution by appointing him a member of the company Law Reform Commission":
http://www.ftconferences.com/commercialproperty/speakerdetails/12/?PHPSESSID=78d20aabc8b55b07aff01e57e3759b66

Mark Hanson was clearly not one of the hangers-on, he is one of THE main men who knows how China - and more specifically SINOPEC - does business with the rest of the world.

So why did GKP select Mark Hanson as one of the new NED's? Some thoughts:

Whatever happens, GKP (or future owner) will HAVE to work with SINOPEC with regard to pipelines. From what we have heard from Vallares and Afren, SINOPEC will be involved in building the KICE pipeline from Taq Taq to Fishkabur at the Turkish border. The KICE pipeline will run just south of Shaikan. GKP's own Shaikan pipeline will also run up to Fishkabur. It is inconceivable that the KRG will not mandate coordination and simultaneous laying of the two pipelines over the section from Shaikan to Fishkabur. IMO.

If you refer back to my previous post on this thread, you will know that my 'rumour' was referencing our 'friend' Mr Kuok. You can be SURE that Mr Kuok will not be able to exert influence on GKP if he really does only have 3% of the stock. IMO, Mr Kuok is not yet our 'friend', as we have all seen that the picture is not pretty when someone with enormous wealth and influence wants to accumulate. I just hope he is 'nearly there'. And the appointment of Mark Hanson (a man after Mr Kuok's own heart IMO) would suggest that the 'influence' is definitely 'already there'.

Mark Hanson is clearly an expert on 'Listings'. A FTSE listing may not be the only option. Please guys, let's not start the ISA thread over again concerning shares listed in Hong Kong LOL.

Perhaps one offer on the table concerns cash + shares, the shares in question being listed on the Hong Kong Exchange? But don't give up on Exxon/Chevron just yet, the 'cash' part could be coming from them. I'm in the GRH1 camp here - GKP's resources are so masssive that a 'global sharing' between US and China may well be in the best interests of everyone. Yes, even you Shari.

We live in exciting times.

GLA,

BBBS