---

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Ian R. McNeil, certify that;

|(1) | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB of
      Searchlight Minerals Corp.;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
|--- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
|(2) | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any
      untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
      necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under
      which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
      covered by this report;
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
|(3) | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and
      other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all
      material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash
      flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented
      in this report;        
|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
|(4) | The small business issuers other certifying officer(s)
      and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls
      and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))
      for the small business issuer and have:                                                            

| | a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or
      caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
      supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the small
      business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
      us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
      which this report is being prepared;
| | -- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| | b) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business
      issuers disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report
      our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
      procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on
      such evaluation; and                                                                                                 
| |    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
| | c) | Disclosed in this report any change in the small business
      issuer's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
      the small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially
      affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business
      issuer 's internal control over financial reporting;
and                                               

|(5) | The small business issuers other certifying officers and
      I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of the internal
      control over financial reporting, to the small business issuers auditors
      and the audit committee of the small business issuers board of directors
      (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):
|--- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in
      the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which
      are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuers
      ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
      and
| | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
| | b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves
      management or other employees who have a significant role in the small
      business issuers internal control over financial
  reporting.                                                                                                         

|Date:  | November 14, 2007                           | 
|------ | ------------------------------------------- | 
|       |                                             | 
|       |                                             | 
|       |                                             | 
|       | /s/ Ian R. McNeil                           | 
|By:    | IAN R. MCNEIL                               | 
|Title: | President and Chief
      Executive Officer | 

---