Petaquilla Copper Ltd. (the "Company") (TSX: PTC) announces the results of drilling on the El Real corridor at the Petaquilla Copper Project, Panama. Resources along the El Real corridor were not included in the mid 1990's, pre National Instrument 43-101 estimates by Fluor Daniel, and AMEC (formerly H. A. Simons) for the three copper deposits Petaquilla, Valle Grande, and Botija, all of which are northwest of the El Real corridor. These new El Real corridor resources represent an addition of approximately 15% in Indicated and Measured resources relative to the Fluor Daniel scoping study and 23% compared to the H.A. Simons' feasibility study.

Highlights include Inferred resources in Brazo, and newly defined mineralization around drill holes BADH-07-353, 373, and 383 about 1.5 kilometres southeast of the Botija Copper deposit. Both Brazo and the new zone contain vertically extensive mineralization, including:

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                           Average grade              From
Drill hole  Thickness(m)             %Cu  Lithology     (m)  To (m)
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BRDH-001         159.00           0.6699  ANFP/ABXA   59.6   218.6
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BRDH-001           16.4           0.7600  ANFP        98.3   114.7
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BRDH-002             12           1.0604  ANFP         2.5    14.5
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BRDH-002           78.6           0.6060  ANFP/ABXA   26.5   105.1
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BRDH-004           33.5           0.6575  ANFP        67.9   101.4
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BRDH-005           34.7           0.6586  ANFP         4.2    38.9
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BRDH-005          205.3           0.6323  ANFP/QZBX   77.2   282.5
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BADH-353            125           0.5634  BGD3       181.5   306.5
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Lithology codes are as follows: QZBX equals Quartz breccia, ABXA
equals Andesite breccia, ANFP equals Andesite porhpyry, BGD3
equals Granodiorite.

The independent QP, Marc Melker, P. Geo., has verified that recent drilling, sample preparation and laboratory procedures utilized for the Petaquilla Copper Project meet National Instrument 43-101 standards, and has reviewed and has approved the content of this news release. Strict QA/QC protocols have been defined and implemented for the submission of blanks, standards and duplicate core samples to the laboratory. Samples were analyzed at ALS Chemex and SGS Laboratories.

Based on positive results from recent confirmation and step-out drilling at the Brazo deposit, the Company has been able to calculate an Inferred mineral resource, and the Company anticipates that further infill drilling will enable the Company to reclassify most of this Inferred mineral resource to Indicated and Measured mineral resources status. New mapping in the Brazo area suggests the deposit may be hosted in a breccia pipe which helps to explain the large vertical extent of mineralization.

Another 20% of the total El Real Inferred mineral resource above 0.3% Cu in the Botija Abajo West area is similarly expected to be converted to Indicated and Measured mineral resource status with continued infill drilling currently in progress. This area is defined by multiple copper assays in multiple holes, but at a spacing generally more than 200m.

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Total Copper and Total Gold Resources in El Real at 0.5% Cu and 0.5 g/t Au
Cut Off Grades (COG)
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                          Copper 0.5% COG              Gold 0.5 g/t COG
                  -----------------------------     ----------------------
Resource                tons                         tons   grade
Category               X1000  grade%  lbs X1000     X1000     g/t   ounces
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El Real Measured       1,019  0.8459     18,970     1,502   1.091   52,675
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El Real Indicated      6,541  0.6991    100,614     1,343   0.892   38,509
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El Real Inferred       7,816  0.6489    111,581     2,568   0.620   51,221
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Brazo Inferred        37,390  0.6282    516,709         -       -        -
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Total Copper and Total Gold Resources in El Real at 0.3% Cu and 0.3 g/t Au
COG
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                          Copper 0.3% COG              Gold 0.3 g/t COG
                  -----------------------------     ----------------------
Resource                tons                         tons   grade
Category               X1000  grade%  lbs X1000     X1000     g/t   ounces
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El Real Measured       2,585  0.5690     32,351     2,486   0.808   64,599
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El Real Indicated     22,485  0.4763    235,627     3,020   0.603   58,555
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El Real Inferred      26,754  0.4599    270,705     7,128   0.444  101,837
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Brazo Inferred       131,507  0.4537  1,312,582     1,377   0.316   13,989
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The tables above include National Instrument 43-101 compliant resources defined in Botija Abajo, Botija Abajo West, Brazo and the intervening areas. The Inferred tonnage at Brazo was initially modeled as a Conceptual tonnage, however, subsequent to modeling, positive results of confirmation drilling as of May 2008 show that the results from the 1990's holes are reliable and, therefore, dictate a reclassification to Inferred tonnage.

Conceptual copper equivalents were calculated and are presented as a means of determining reasonable in-situ gross value, non-adjusted for processing costs or feasibility of extraction.

The reader is cautioned that the quantities and grades set out below are conceptual in nature, and are set out to indicate only the potential copper equivalent grades of the resources in the El Real Corridor and the Brazo deposit. In addition, the commercial feasibility of extraction, metallurgical characteristics and the costs of processing are not known at the present time.

The copper equivalent grades are based on the total tonnage of each metal (total Conceptual inventories for silver and molybdenum, and total Measured, Indicated, Inferred, and Conceptual inventories for copper and gold). These are only in situ values of metal converted to grades of copper and integrated, given the following prices and factors: Gold at $800 per troy ounce, Molybdenum at $20 per pound, Silver at $12 per troy ounce, and Copper at $2 per pound. These prices result in the following factors: Mo Cu Eq% equals 0.00104 (Mo in ppm) and Ag Cu Eq% equals 0.0088 (Ag in ppm), and Au Cu Eq% equals 0.584 (Au in ppm). Complete economic investigation for these metals, including metallurgical characteristics and recovery has not yet been completed. In general, the distribution for each metal is not necessarily coincident with the other metals in the model blocks. Therefore, any particular model block may only be defined by the values for one metal. This is important to extraction strategies since different volumes along the corridor may have only recoverable values for one metal, and may impact mine and process designs.

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Conceptual Total Cu Equivalent
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COG: 0.5%        EqCuTons   EqCu %        EqCu lbs
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Conceptual
 tonnage      155,736,433   0.6783   2,323,905,474
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COG: 0.3%        EqCuTons   EqCu %        EqCu lbs
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Conceptual
 tonnage      417,966,697   0.4981   4,579,994,570
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The conceptual potential tonnages and grades were assigned to model blocks generally greater than 225 metres away from corroborating assays and were defined in two ways. (1) Blocks based on Copper assays from only one hole (in widely spaced areas), these grades are interpolated with a minimum of three assays from one hole. (2) In the case of Brazo, the model is based on previously obtained data for which the drill core could not be verified due to its loss subsequent to drilling in the mid 1990's. A minimum of two copper assays in a single drill hole was required for copper grade interpolation at Brazo.

The Company has been completing a series of metallurgical tests that have indicated a potentially leachable copper zone of oxides and secondary sulfides. At present, metallurgical tests are underway that will determine the amount and commercial viability of extraction.

Forward looking information - Securities regulators encourage companies to disclose forward looking information to help investors understand a company's future prospects. This press release contains forward-looking information. These are "forward-looking" because we have used what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements usually include words such as may, expect, anticipate, and believe or other similar words. We believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, actual events and results could be substantially different because of the risks and uncertainties associated with our respective business or events that happen after the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. About Petaquilla Copper Ltd. - Petaquilla Copper Ltd. is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Its shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PTC. The Company holds 26% of Minera Petaquilla, S.A., a joint venture company developing its world-class copper deposit in the Republic of Panama. The Company has commenced arbitration proceedings which, if successful, will result in its shareholding increasing from 26% to 52%. Petaquilla Copper Ltd. also owns 49% of the issued shares of Petaquilla Infrastructure Ltd., a company incorporated to manage and expedite the development of the power, port and related infrastructure in support of the Molejon Gold Mine of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd.

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

Richard Fifer, Chief Executive Officer and Director

No Stock Exchange has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Contacts:
Petaquilla Copper Ltd.
Richard Fifer
Chief Executive Officer and Director
(604) 694-0021
Website: www.petaquillacopper.com

Renmark Financial Communications
Julien Ouimet
(514) 939-3989
Email: jouimet@renmarkfinancial.com

Renmark Financial Communications
Jason Roy
(514) 939-3989
Email: jroy@renmarkfinancial.com
Website: www.renmarkfinancial.com

SOURCE: Petaquilla Copper Ltd.

http://www.petaquillacopper.com mailto:jouimet@renmarkfinancial.com mailto:jroy@renmarkfinancial.com http://www.renmarkfinancial.com