North American Tungsten resumed trading today, more than three months after the Cantung mine suddenly closed down when its buyers cancelled purchase agreements.

'We have been trying to get resumption of trading for the last little while,' Steve Leahy, interim president and chief executive officer for North American, said this morning from Vancouver.

'I think it is fair for our shareholders to have liquidity.'

The company, which owns the Cantung mine, requested a halt to trading in early December. It did so after its only two customers, Osram Slyvania of the U.S. and Sandvik AB, a Swedish company, cancelled supply contracts.

North American also applied for and received initial court protection from creditors in mid-December, and was granted a further three months on Jan. 23.

Osram and Sandvik both provided North American with financing in 2001 to bring the mine back into production, and agreed to purchase the tungsten produced at Cantung.

After the mine closed down in early December, a spokesman for Osram said the company had done all it could to assist North American, but reached the end of its rope in terms of further support.

North American, however, filed a suit last month in the Supreme Court of British Columbia arguing Osram and Sandvik were in breach of the supply contract

It's seeking, among other things, a ruling from the court that the purchase obligations by Osram and Sandvik are still in full force.

More than a day of submissions on the matter were heard earlier this month before the parties agreed to adjourn court proceedings to April 13.

Leahy said he could not comment on the legal matters.

The mine is located along the Yukon-N.W.T. border, just inside the N.W.T. The only road access to the mine, however, is through the Yukon.

Of the 200 or so workers employed by the Cantung operation before it closed, approximately 100 were Yukoners.

When trading was halted, shares were selling for 14 cents. They were trading late this morning at between six and nine cents.