- Title: Syria says it welcomes Lebanon's request to import energy
- Date: 4th September 2021
- Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (SEPTEMBER 4, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF THE EXTERIOR OF SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY MEETING BETWEEN LEBANESE MINISTERS AND SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FAISAL MEKDAD IN PROGRESS LEBANESE MINISTERS LISTENING DURING MEETING/ ZEINA AKKAR MEETING IN PROGRESS SYRIAN DELEGATION SPEAKING DURING MEETING JOURNALISTS PREPARING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE LEBANESE MINISTERS AND MEKDAD ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE SECRETARY GENERAL OF SYRIAN-LEBANESE HIGHER COUNCIL, NASRI KHOURY, TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY GENERAL OF SYRIAN-LEBANESE HIGHER COUNCIL, NASRI KHOURY, SAYING: "The Lebanese party asked for help from Syria to Lebanon to pass Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity through Syria. The Syrian side welcomed the request and assured it was ready to oblige. Both parties agreed on following up on the detailed technical issues via a joint technical team to discuss the technical issues for each country." KHOURY SPEAKING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE LEBANESE MINISTERS SYRIAN MINISTERS MINISTERS LEAVING AT END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 18th September 2021 14:13
- Keywords: Egypt Jordan Lebanon Nasri Khoury Syria Zeina Akkar energy import
- Location: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- City: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Middle East,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ETAZYO7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Syria on Saturday (September 4) welcomed Lebanon's request to import Egyptian gas for energy generation via its territory after Lebanese ministers made the highest level visit to Damascus in years.
Lebanon is suffering energy shortages that have forced even essential services including hospitals to shut down or scale back operations. The crisis is the result of a wider financial meltdown that has devastated the economy since 2019.
The delegation, led by Zeina Akkar, who holds several positions in Lebanon's caretaker government including foreign minister, aimed to pave the way for a U.S.-backed plan to ease power shortages in Lebanon by transmitting electricity via the Syrian grid.
"The Syrian side welcomed the request and assured it was ready to oblige," Nasri Khoury, secretary general of the Lebanese Syrian Higher Council, said in a brief statement after the meeting.
The plan involves using Egyptian gas to generate electricity in Jordan that will then be transmitted through Syria to Lebanon.
U.S. sanctions on Damascus are a complicating factor in any effort to help Lebanon via Syria, but congressmen visiting Beirut this week have said Washington is looking at ways to urgently deal with those hurdles.
U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has also said there was a will to make the plan happen.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad received the Lebanese delegation at the border on arrival Saturday, which also included the ministers of energy and finance.
Lebanese government officials had mostly avoided Syria since war began there in 2011 as Beirut adopted a policy of staying out of regional conflicts, even as the Shi'ite group Hezbollah fought in support of Damascus.
(Production: Firas Makdisi, Kinda Makieh, Mindy Burrows) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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