Petaquilla

Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ)(OTCBB:PTQMF)(FRANKFURT:P7Z)(the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Petaquilla Gold, S.A., a signatory of the International Cyanide Management Code (the “Code”), has been audited by a lead auditor and a technical expert as part of the final process to become certified by the International Cyanide Management Institute (“ICMI”).

Companies that are signatories to the Code must have their operations audited by an independent third party to demonstrate their compliance with the Code. In this regard, Petaquilla Gold, S.A., once certified by the ICMI, will join only 14 other gold mining companies worldwide possessing this certification.

Within the next two months the technical expert will conclude a final review of the Company’s Molejon Gold Project to confirm compliance with minor recommendations prior to submitting the final report to ICMI for issuance of the official certification.

The ICMI was established to administer the Code, to promote the Code’s adoption and implementation, to evaluate its implementation, to manage the certification process and to make information on safe cyanide management practices widely available.

The Code is a voluntary industry program covering the manufacture, transport and use of cyanide in the gold mining industry. The Company supports the promotion of responsible management of cyanide used in gold mining for the purpose of enhancing the protection of human health and reducing the potential of environmental impacts.

About Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. Petaquilla is a growing, diversified gold producer committed to maximizing shareholder value through a strategy of efficient production, targeted exploration and select acquisitions. The Company operates a surface gold processing plant at its Molejon Gold Project, located in the south central area of its 100% owned 842 square kilometre concession lands in Panama – a region known historically for gold content. In addition, the Company has acquired 100% of the Lomero-Poyatos project located in the northeast part of the Spanish/Portuguese (Iberian) Pyrite Belt and several other exploration licenses in Iberia.

An exhibition that outlines four centuries of history between Panama and Spain, provided a framework to the visit made by the Duke of Veragua, Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, who was the special guest for this event which will be open to the public in the Panamanian capital until the month of November.

“Four Centuries of History with Spain” is the name of the exhibition present in the Building of the National Archives of the Public Registry which is visited daily by hundreds of young people, adults and students from all parts of the country.

Luis Barria, Director of the Public Registry, served as host to such illustrious visitor, who arrived accompanied by the General Director of the Public Companies of the Autonomous Region of Extremadura in Spain, Jaime Ruiz Peña; the President of the Fundacion Castilla de Oro in Panama, Pascual Montañes.

The Duke of Veraguas, visited Panama in his role as Chairman of the Fundacion Castilla de Oro, entity that seeks to promote tourism development in rural areas, an idea conceived by the Panamanian businessman Richard Fifer-Carles.

After several visiting several exhibition halls, including the modern tools used for preserving and digitizing old documents, The Duke Colon de Carvajal described it as the only exhibition which aims to preserve valuable information of important historical moments for Panama and Spain.

He was pleasantly surprised of the condition of the documents dating from the colonial era, and stressed that as a person who knows about the subject, being part of the Board of Trustees of the Naval Museum of Spain, he knows that typical policies from Spain do not permit the sharing of such archives, but in this case have made an exception due to the fact that they have been well kept and for the value they represent for the Panamanian people.

During his tour, the Duke of Veragua was accompanied by the Director of the Public Registry, who explained how the laboratory of microbiology, preservation, restoration and framing work.

Among the documents presented to the Duke Colon de Carvajal, stand out the memorial of Pedrarias Davila, in 1515, memoirs of Elizabeth Bobadilla, letters of the Council of Panama to the King in 1573, letter to the King from the Council of Panama, informing of the sacking of Nombre de Dios by the pirate Sir Francis Drake in 1596; relationship between peoples with the province of Veragua, the Kingdom of the Mainland in 1604, among others also the important reply to the letter of Christopher Columbus, informing the Kings of Spain on his fourth voyage to America.

Socio-Economic Development

Every year Petaquilla Gold spends a percentage of its profit on social investment projects and precious amounts of time working with communities. The ultimate goals of the project are to help alleviate economic distress in the area, promote health, education and further community development.

Every operation in Petaquilla Gold supports social investment in host communities. We use our trajectory and expertise to determine local needs and priorities in order to solve these situations. There are a number of dedicated foundations that support social projects, among them Fundacion Castilla de Oro strives to promote cultural development in the isthmus. This foundation is one of the global efforts by Petaquilla Gold to develop sustainable progress in the region.

Petaquilla’s mandate is to support development initiatives aimed at bringing new hope and opportunity to Panama’s disadvantaged communities in the provinces of Cocle and Colon. The company has an effective strategy – refocusing its contributions on projects with national impact.

Education is one of the largest and most important sectors in need of development. A large proportion of the Company’s funds go to projects and programs that support the progress of the schooling system and its infrastructural development. Funding is aimed at improving education facilities, providing a computer center and equipping the schools with better materials for children to benefit.

When it comes to safekeeping the health of its employees, Petaquilla takes a holistic approach to addressing the multiple impacts that can influence a person’s wellbeing. It has among many of its efforts contributed by building additional public health facilities and sponsoring prevention programs to improve the current situation in nearby towns.

Similarly, Petaquilla Gold is carrying out initiatives in the entrepreneurial, arts and environment sectors which offer training create awareness and lobby for social changes and have created continuous development and improvement in Panama.

Mr. Sirotinsky’s experience will benefit Petaquilla in its next steps to becoming a mid-tier gold producer.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — (MARKETWIRE) — 12/02/10 –

Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX: PTQ) (OTCBB: PTQMF) (FRANKFURT: P7Z) (“Petaquilla” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ezequiel Sirotinsky as Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

Mr. Sirotinsky, a Certified Public Accountant, was formerly Director of Finance for Silver Standard Resources, Inc., where he was responsible for the administration and finance aspects of their Mina Pirquitas Project in Argentina, and Administrative and Finance Manager for AngloGold Ashanti Limited’s Cerro Vanguardia Project, a gold and silver mine, where, among other responsibilities, he was involved in reporting and accounting management, treasury and cash management, risk management, business planning and strategy development, and tax planning.

The Company welcomes Mr. Sirotinsky as Chief Financial Officer. His experience garnered from holding senior finance positions within other mineral producing companies will benefit the Company in its next steps to becoming a mid-tier gold producer.

Mr. Sirotinsky replaces Ms. Julie van Baarsen as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Petaquilla’s board of directors and management would like to thank Ms. van Baarsen for her dedicated and attentive work and wishes her well in her future endeavors.

About Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. – Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. is a gold producer operating its gold processing plant at its 100% owned Molejon Gold Project in Panama. The plant utilizes three ball mills and a carbon-in-pulp processing facility. Anticipated throughput for the project during the first year of commercial production is estimated to be 2200 tonnes per day. The Molejon mine site is located in the south central area of the Company’s 100% owned 842 square kilometer concession lands, a region known historically for its gold content.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of PETAQUILLA MINERALS LTD.

Richard Fifer, Executive Chairman of the Board

Carlos Salazar - Portavoz de Petaquilla

Petaquilla employees drink water from rivers nearby the mine to show that there is no contamination

Representatives of the Petaquilla Gold mine rejected the arguments of farmers and environmentalists about the pollution of the Coclesito River and to prove it they bathed in the water and even drank water directly from river.
Carlos Salazar, in the presence of the media, bathed in the river with his son and public relations representative Fernando Rodriguez. “Petaquilla is accused of having polluted rivers, mainly Coclesito without scientific evidence, and have alarmed the people to later interview them.” said Salazar.
842 square Km is mine Molejón, 300 thousand cubic meters has the tub. He stated that the mining company is not using seven tons of cyanide and is not destroying the water sources in the region, as stated by the environmentalists.   He explained that in the operational phase they have taken advantage of the high level of rainfall, which increased levels of the tub of tailings, to say that there was spill, which is not true.
They also argued that theoretically the mine consumes 1800 cubic meters of water a day because the tub has a pumping capacity of 45 cubic meters per hour, but as rain fills it, they do not get to use 45 cubic meters, or much less 1800 per day.
Salazar said that Coclesito water can be consumed, although environmentalists accuse Petaquilla of having contaminated the water.
Leak
They say there is no danger to the level of landslide tubs
Location
They are in District Molejón Donoso
Research
Ancon Anam and take samples of water from nearby rivers

History shows that of 100 applications for exploration, two become mines and so Panama at its best will have 6-7 mines, which would have a surface of 3.500 to 4000 hectares, equivalent to 40 square kilometers, said Salazar.

It was a challenge without proof

The environmental Raisa Bainfield said she saw no evidence that Salazar was drinking water from the affected rivers.    “That bathing and drinking water from the rivers has no merit. That was will determine whether there is contamination or not is a committee of national experts that investigates the mine, and I say international because the government is biased in this issue, “said Bainfield, while trying to establish her theory that the mine is detrimental to the community.

Source: RAMOS Torrera Lineth – El Siglo