Although the Sultan supports the project as evidenced by his stake, Omagine history tells us quite clearly that he does not wake up every morning inquiring as to its progress. He has bigger fish to fry.. trying to build a stable and prosperous society in a region plagued by instability.

There has not been a single overtly negative comment or reaction from any government official. On the contrary, all of the words from MOT, the most important ministry involved, have been very supportive and encouraging, albeit inaccurate as to specific dates.

MOH, a relatively recent player because of the Krooki snafu, has been apparently uncooperative. It is a reasonable theory to ascribe this to their newness to the project rather than to a nefarious conspiracy. They are most likely most concerned about CYA in this high level conflict of important government personages. However the Sultan is the most important, so this conflict will be resolved.

Progress toward signing, though halting and frustrating, continues to have forward momentum. I think the absence of recent news is not particularly discouraging. It is reasonable to assume that the wheels of progress are grinding, slowly but surely, towards a happy conclusion. It is in everybody’s (Sultan, MOH, citizens of Oman, shareholders) interest. Not to say it is a certainty, but I would view a bad outcome as highly unlikely at this point. Exact timing is anybody’s guess.