Lydian International Ltd. (TSX: LYD), a diversified U.K. mineral exploration and development company, today announced positive results from soil and trench sampling from its Rahovec project in Kosovo. The initial soil sampling program indicated a 1.5km long gold anomaly, which remains open to the north. The highest reported soil samples returned 1.87 g/t gold. 

A follow up trenching program was also completed to test the underlying bedrock. One meter continuous trench sampling has confirmed mineralised bedrock, with the best trench results returning 73m grading 0.87 g/t gold (highest 7.97 g/t gold). An adjacent trench, located 75 meters to the north returned 13m grading 0.67 g/t gold (highest 1.94 g/t gold). 

The soil sampling program also returned significant Nickel (Ni) and Cobalt (Co) results, which follow a similar but separate trend to gold. The average Nickel value for all soil samples returned 0.29% with a high of 0.51%. The Ni-Co anomaly is directly related to the host ultramafic suite of rocks located in the area. 

"This is an exciting new gold discovery in an area that was previously known only for its Ni-Co-Cu-(PGE) potential," said Tim Coughlin, President and CEO. "The soil geochemistry has defined a large and drill-ready target area." 

Lydian has commenced preparations for a scout diamond drilling in the area to test the down dip extent of the gold mineralisation. Further soil sampling and trenching are planned to define the extent of the gold anomaly to the north. This drilling is expected to commence in the next 3-4 weeks. 

The Rahovec project is located in Eastern Kosovo, Lydian was granted an 85km2 exploration license in Dec 2006. Rahovec is underlain mainly by ultramafic units which extend southwards into Albania. The project is known to contain sulphide Ni-Co-Cu mineralisation, which is thought to be the result of magmatic differentiation, similar to deposits seen in Western Australia and Northern Canada. The area also has potential for Cr-(PGE) mineralisation and bauxite. 

To view Figure 1. Soil geochemistry and trench results - Gold anomaly identified in the Rahovec License, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/lydianfig1.pdf

To view Figure 2. Soil geochemistry and trench results - Nickel anomalies identified in the Rahovec License, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/lydianfig2.pdf

About Lydian International 

Lydian is a diversified U.K. mineral exploration and development company, with expertise employing "first mover" strategies in emerging exploration environments. The Company is currently focused on Eastern Europe, exploring in the Balkan and Caucasus regions, and is developing advanced precious and base metal assets located in former Soviet Armenia and in emerging Kosovo. 

Lydian's management team has a track record of success in grassroots discovery, in acquiring and developing undervalued assets, and in building companies. Lydian has a strong social agenda and a unique understanding of the complex social and political issues that characterise emerging environments. 

The Company's two main projects are gold at Amulsar in Armenia, and zinc, lead, silver and gold at Drazhnje in Kosovo. Lydian also has a pipeline of promising gold and base metal exploration projects in the Balkans region, and operates a 50/50 gold and copper exploration joint venture with Newmont Overseas Exploration Limited, a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation (NSYE: NEMS)(ASX: NEMS)(TSX: NMC), in the Caucasus region. 

Lydian's two largest shareholders are Newmont Mineral Holdings B.V., and International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group). Lydian's web site is www.lydianresources.com where more information can be found. 

Dr. Tim Coughlin BSc, MSc, PhD, MAusIMM; Lydian's President and CEO is the Qualified Person overseeing Lydian's exploration programmes. Dr. Coughlin has supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this press release. 

Lydian employees are instructed to follow standard operating and quality assurance procedures intended to ensure that all sampling techniques and sample results meet international reporting standards. Lydian samples - 2 to 3 kg of rock, rockchip, or drill core per sample. Samples are bagged, labeled, sealed and dispatched to ALS Chemex analytical laboratory in Rosia Montana, Romania. At the Laboratory after fine crushing at less than 2mm (70%), subsequent riffle split, followed by a 1000g split pulverized to less than 75micron (85%), a 50g aliquot is analyzed for gold by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish. The remainder is sent by ALS Chemex to its laboratory in Perth (pending registration to ISO 9001:2000) or Vancouver (ISO17025), where the sample is subject to four acid digestion and analysis for 33 elements by ICP-MS (ALS' ME-ICP61 package). ALS Chemex carries out regular checks by duplicating gold analyses for several samples, and by inserting its own blanks and standards as part of its own Quality Management System. Lydian prepares its samples and dispatches to ALS Chemex with inclusion of blanks, duplicates, and three standards with different gold concentrations with random numbering. Directly after drilling Rock Quality Designation (RQD) is measured by prompt logging to define the cumulative length of core pieces divided by the total length of the core run (including any lost or poorly recovered core sections). RQD is an index of rock quality in which a modified core recovery percentage is obtained. Lydian's drill holes dominantly have a core recovery classified as "good" (greater than 75% recovery), "fair" (50-75%) or "excellent" recovery (greater than 90%). Core is placed in core trays with plastic lining to avoid any loss of fine grained material before sampling. HQ core (63.5mm diameter) and NQ core (47.6mm diameter) are cut in half by diamond saw core parallel to the core. Half of the core is sampled every meter or slightly less at apparent lithological or structural breaks in the core.