Gabriel Resources’ CEO Alan Hill has asked: “Who wants to destroy a successful project?” The company held a press conference in Bucharest, Romania on September 5 to identify and substantiate who is behind certain of the opposition voices to its gold mining project in Rosia Montana, Romania.

President and CEO Alan R. Hill’s full press conference speech is available on the company’s home page at www.gabrielresources.com. The speech is accompanied by support documents detailing the true nature of the opposition to the Company’s Rosia Montana Project.

Hill opened his press conference with a review of the Company’s future commitments and goals. He stressed that 600 high-wage jobs will be provided over the life of the Rosia Montana Project (RMP), leading to another 6,000 jobs in the area. This is an area of high unemployment. The project will also provide €2 billion in economic activity for Romania – with almost €1 billion in revenues to the Romanian State, as the State is a partner owning 20%.

The project will follow global best practices and meet or exceed strict new EU standards. It will be built by an experienced team, who have built several large, world class gold projects before.

The bulk of Hill’s press conference focused on the fact that, despite RMP’s many benefits and high design standards, “the project is faced with a persistent disinformation campaign that paints the Rosia Montana project as a disaster for Romania.” He asked: “Who is behind this opposition? Where does it come from? And for what reason?”

Hill went on to identify and substantiate the co-ordinated involvement of Alburnus Maior and other Hungarian NGOs who – along with the Soros Organizations – put forward the public face of the vocal opposition which provides cover to certain members of the Hungarian Government who oppose the Rosia Montana Project at all costs, Gabriel reports.

For the first time, the company publicly cited and released documents indicating the degree to which opposition to the Rosia Montana Project comes from outside Romania in general, and from Hungary specifically.

That information includes identifying Hungarian involvement in Alburnus Maior, the self-styled “local” village NGO opposed to the mining project. There is a letter from Soros Foundation Romania, an organization whose mission statement describes its goal as “promot(ing) patterns for the advancement of a society based on freedom, accountability and respect for diversity…” This is reported to advance a secret goal of stopping Rosia Montana as a “land mark” case to end mining in the Carpathians – depriving Romania of the opportunity to develop its resource wealth.

There is also information on linkages between Hungarian Government agencies, Hungarian NGOs, some members of Romania’s ethnic-Hungarian UDMR party and the self-identified “local” village NGO opposing the RMP. Gabriel also reports an April 2007 letter signed by George Soros to the CEO of Newmont Mining a shareholder of the company warning: “I feel it is my duty to advise you to consider carefully any further involvement with Gabriel Resources and the Rosia Montana Project.”

Hill stated that the public release of this new information overturns many of the claims and assertions made by project opponents. “Those working against our project have a simple storyline – and they stick to it: this is a story of a Romanian David versus a Canadian Goliath – a small village NGO fighting to stop a foreign mining company.” Noting the backing of Hungarian NGOs including those of the Soros network as well as the Hungarian Government itself – with its long-standing interests in Transylvania – Hill added: “When you look more closely at the hidden forces opposed to our project: We have become the David – then who is Goliath?”

He concluded his remarks with two challenges: “I challenge the groups opposing us: Play by the same rules we do. Tell us the truth about why you oppose our project – because it cannot be based on the reasons you state publicly. Tell us who funds you. Do not demand transparency of everyone else – and operate from secrecy yourselves. And why won’t you meet with us to debate the issue in public in a fair and transparent way? What do you have to hide?”

“My second challenge is to members of the media: Unveil the truth. Help us learn more about these forces opposing our project – their methods and motivations. And bring the facts of what you find before the Romanian people.”

Gabriel is a Canadian based resource company that says it is “committed to responsible mining and sustainable development in the communities in which it operates.” It is currently engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Romania and is presently engaged in the development of its 80% owned Rosia Montana gold project.