The Iraqi- Syrian oil pipeline will be ready within three days
Iraq-Syria, Politics, 11/3/2000

The Iraqi question on Wednesday witnessed important developments and the most remarkable of them was Baghdad's declaration that the Iraqi- Syrian oil pipeline which is closed since 1982, will be ready for exporting crude oil through it within two or three days.

The Iraqi minister of oil Amer Muhammad Rashid told journalists at the inauguration of Baghdad's International Exposition, which is attended by more 14 official delegations, that there is no problem and that all implementation measures were taken to prepare the pipeline to be open within two or three days.

The Syrian minister of state Ihsan Shreitah who is visiting Iraq to attend the exposition expressed his conviction that his country will not hesitate to take any step helps to increase rapprochement between the two countries.

However, the " Middle East Economic Survey" (MEES) said on Wednesday that the two neighborly countries are intending to re-open the oil pipeline in the mid of November.

MEES added that Iraq intends to export 200,000 barrels of oil every day from the light oil of al-Basra to Syria and will be refined locally and then sold at lower prices than international oil prices.

The agreement to reopen the oil pipeline was signed between the two countries on July 14, 1998 and then Washington strongly opposed this agreement.

However, Iraq is permitted to sell unlimited amounts of oil in the framework of the oil-for-food agreement, signed with the UN but the exportation process of this oil should be through the Turkish port of Jeihan and al-Baker airport in Southern Iraq.

The UN resolutions state that any additional exportation lines for exporting the Iraqi oil through Syria or any other state should have the consent of the UN Iraqi sanctions committee.

Members of the committee and oil analysists in New York said on Monday that it is ruled out that the UN will agree on Iraqi oil exports through the Syrian- Iraqi oil pipelines.

The Syrian minister of state for the Cabinet affairs Hassan al-Nouri and Minister Shreitah arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday on board of a Syrian plane loading an economic and official delegation including the chairman of the federation of the Syrian Chamber of commerce Rateb al-Shallah, several businessmen and representatives for the Syrian companies.

The Iraqi news agency quoted al-Nouri as saying that the visit of the Syrian delegation and its volume constitutes " an evidence on our sure evidence to contribute to lifting the sufferings caused by the siege against the Iraqi people." He stressed that Syria " is ready to give all backing to Iraq and to expand the volume of co-operation in all fields."

Al-Shallah explained that 60 Syrian companies representing the sectors of industry, trade and medicines are taking part in the exhibition."

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