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| Syria-Lebanon |
| U.S. Seeks to Stop Oil From Iraq to Syria |
| 2003-04-15 |
| Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday that U.S. forces have shut down a pipeline used for illegal oil shipments from Iraq to Syria, but he could not assure that oil is not still flowing between those two countries. During a question-and-answer session with reporters, Rumsfeld denied that coalition forces had destroyed any pipelines. "We have preserved infrastructure in that country," he said. However, Rumsfeld said, coalition forces are working on securing the particular illegal pipeline. "I hope they have cut it off," he said. Thought that this had been done earlier, guess not. There were allegations that, in violation of U.N. sanctions, Syria has received 150,000 to 200,000 barrels of oil daily through the pipeline, which opened in 2000. No oil for blood. Sucks to have to buy it at market prices now, doesn't it? |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 This is going to hammer Syria's already basket case economy. According to the CIA http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html Oil form 68% of exports. We don't know how much of that is Iraqi oil, but Syria has both declining production and money problems. Shell was pressed by the cash-strapped Syrian government to step up production (against Shell's advice) to 100,000 bbl/d. The result was serious reservoir damage, and in April 1989, output plummeted to 30,000 bbl/d. from http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/syria.html I predict that Assad will be gone within a year! |
| Posted by: Phil B 2003-04-15 14:55:30 |