Member Info for dweill

I don't believe that the negotiations are going badly - but I am not at the table! I have confidence in Richard Williams and the Barrick team. If this can be done they will do it IMO.

This share is not at all trading poorly - IMHO it is bid. I hope that there is a win win for all parties. The Tanzanian people do not deserve to sink into a period of recession and mass unemployment due to brinkmanship. Let's hope that rationality prevails.

Opium - instead of the hard stuff take a Nurofen and a nice cup of tea - It will all work out in the morning IMHO!

Perhaps we will have some good news on Monday. I would love to see this work out in a commercial fashion without having a long arbitration. Let's hope for win win.

They have lots of natural gas but want $20 billion plus in investment for a gas to liquids facility with oil majors that looks highly improbable given their current disposition. Who on earth would invest that kind of change with these guys now? #timetochange It is interesting that they got the waxy oil heated pipeline from Uganda - but I have a small personal insight to share here - Uganda wanted it to go through Tanzania rather than Kenya because if it came to a dispute that would end with soldiers, guns and mortars, Uganda could take Tanzania without much worry and chagrin - this is Africa. I still think we will get a reasonable outcome from the negotiations and I am optimistic. Richard Williams knows Africa extremely well being 'practically' Zimbabwean. What Africa is in desperate need of and certainly doesn't have is a leader like Singapore had with Lee Kuan Yew - a true nation builder to go from 3rd world to 1st world in 30 years. Interestingly Rwanda is being re-booted with common wealth assistance, even from Singapore so maybe eventually there will be hope for the continent. It is not a simple problem, which is why we should certainly be delighted with a reasonable commercial outcome.

I am clueless - but confident. Richard leading the ABX team represents to me an extremely powerful execution capability. The tape rarely lies, but we will know when we will know.

I have about $1 mm invested in ABX, does that count mate? It puts ACA on my radar screen - just say'n. What is your guess as to what the share price will be if Richard and the ABX team 'makes it so'? Have you sold and are worried about regrets or are you short? Personally I never have regrets, and I certainly never short AIM shares. 'He who sells what isn't his'n, pays the price or goes to prison.' Daniel Drew (1797-1879)

I can't speak for divine intervention but I have done mining business in Africa for several decades and have done significant transactions with the Chinese and others in uranium as well as metals, oil and gas. What the tape is telling me - or at least suggesting is that it is time to look past this to what kind of outcome arrives. If it it is no deal and arbitration, it will be a lose for Tanzania and a smaller lose but still a lose for ACA. If it is a deal that gives face to the politicians but is still economically viable for the company that is a win win and that is what I hope we are looking at as a reality here. I just recently turned bullish on ACA as you can see from my post history, but I have not bought ACA shares as I own a very chunky position in ABX, so this is for me a 'vicarious' long position.

I really am mystified by AIM - one minute it is full of shorters - get out when you can - and rampers - it is going to the moon - it is going to be hugggeeeeee!!! I have no clue whatsoever how the negotiations are going but I do have great respect and the highest personal confidence in Richard Williams and I do believe if there is a way out of this situation he will find it with the excellent assistance of his highly professional team working together to a common win win solution. The share price trading up not down to me is good information as the tape rarely lies. It is not always right, who is? but I would rather see ACA trade higher on good volume and then have a nice positive RNS later in the week to take the share price out of the basement and on to at least a fair value. Ramping is not helpful. The battle isn't won and ideally we want this matter to transform out of 'battle mode' into new cooperation mode. Mining companies have to integrate and be part of the community. No one knows that better than Barrick. There will be concessions - but rational concessions. When I look at the share price now it is pricing liquidation value. A reasonable business like way forward to me at least would lead to a very rapid share price appreciation - but that outcome is not known yet. I for one at least have confidence that reason will win out and that should lead to a 30-50% appreciation at least from these levels.

You are most welcome. I certainly don't agree other investors will be interested in Tanzania, quite the contrary. The President 's support is wobbling by the way. http://africanbusinessmagazine.com/region/east-africa/tanzania-magufulis-high-stakes-gamble/ An Arbitration award from an ICSID arbitration is 100% enforceable on Tanzania for your reference. I chose to post that article as Mr Richard Williams shared it on his LinkedIn timeline (we are connected). As he is leading the negotiations, that suggests he thinks it's relevant and in the public domain.

Given your post it appears that you are short. I am invested in Barrick not ACA but at this level I would certainly not be short ACA. I don't know how the negotiations are going but there are some interesting facts like no one knows who is on the Tanzanian side of the table other than the Minister leading it. We can speculate at to why that is the case but it would suggest to me dissension in their own ranks. My belief is that a solution will be found through negotiation. If not and the matter goes to arbitration, the one mine unaffected by the concentrate ban will continue to function, the other two will probably go on care and maintenance and the parties will go through a 3-4 year process that will frankly be terrible for Tanzania. Firstly they will probably lose badly and their reputation is already very damaged for FDI. Secondly they will lose substantial tax revenues and jobs. If they 'nationalise' the mines, they are liable under BITs to pay 'prompt and just compensation'. Tanzania is arguing the mines are making a fortune so they are effectively increasing the compensation they will be liable to pay. The tax demand is so ridiculous that it doesn't merit discussion and I read that independent audits on the mineral sands containers have been done and Acacia was found to be correct. http://www.mining.com/barrick-gold-tanzania-begin-talks-resolve-acacia-mining-dispute This link was posted on LinkedIn for your reference.

I have had the honour of calling Richard Williams my friend for about a decade now and I can unreservedly say that the interests of Acacia, Barrick and indeed the people of Tanzania in my opinion could not be better served than to have Richard at point in the negotiations. No matter what the outcome, we cannot possibly do any better than to have a leader of men, often under tremendously adverse circumstances in the service of their country, with consummate integrity and laser focused reasoning at the table. Bravo.

Acacia/Barrack is making a very important contribution to Tanzania's economy as this AUDIT shows: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Tanzania-to-lose-553-million-dollars-annually-if-miner-exits/2560-4040492-153cpfp/index.html I sincerely hope that this does not end up having to go to an ICSID arbitration, but just for reference, the award from ICSID is treated like a judgement from the Supreme Court of the member state where it is enforced - in this case probably within Tanzania, so rather than wining. they will have yet another debt to pay. Hopefully rationality will win the day. I slept better knowing that Richard is on point.

Richard is leading it for Barrick - bravo!!! He is really a class act. We can't possibly do any better than Richard Williams that is for sure.

Acacia stated that they were paying the additional royalties 'under duress' and therefore that in no way weakens their legal position. See Lloyds Bank Ltd v Bundy [1974] EWCA 8.

Acacia stated that they were paying the additional royalties 'under duress' and therefore that in no way weakens their legal position. See Lloyds Bank Ltd v Bundy [1974] EWCA 8.

https://www.dse.co.tz/profile-company/130 Do they know something that we don't know? Doubt it - just can't arb it. Make-you-a-fool-i.

https://www.dse.co.tz/profile-company/130 Do they know something that we don't know? Doubt it - just can't arb it. Make-you-a-fool-i.

Tell that to the arbitral tribunal LOL.

Mr John Thornton flew to Tanzania to express what I believe is a sincere desire to find a win win outcome. It is not a question now of who is laughing, it is more a case of who is crying more. As I said the market cap value of Acacia has now already been marked to zero in Barrick's valuation. It is now an asymmetrical negotiation as Barrick has basically nothing to lose as Acacia is not on the radar screen. Tanzania however more or less has already lost more. I think that they can forget about the $30 billion investment in floating LNG and the Russians have already pulled out of uranium - and from my experience they are not squeamish. As I said earlier my main focus is China and while the Chinese will be very polite as they always are, they will not be writing cheques on hope to Tanzania. I am a shareholder of Barrick but not of ACA so I really should not be posting so much here, but this is just really so tragic to watch without taking some action to at least express what I hope is some sanity that I can't just stand by.