Syrian oil minister says Syria-Iraq pipeline will reopen within 2 years
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A pipeline linking Iraq's northern oil fields with Syria's Mediterranean coastline will be operational within two years but needs repairs in Iraq, Syria's oil minister said Sunday after meeting with a visiting Iraqi delegation.
Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw said a Russian company would travel to Iraq on Jan. 10 to inspect the pipeline for needed repairs.
"It's ready to pump oil from the Syrian side, but the pipeline still needs some repair from the Iraqi side," Allaw said during a visit by a delegation led by Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh.
Saleh said there is a "wide horizon" for economic cooperation between Syria and Iraq, adding that his government wants to diversify the outlets for Iraqi oil exports.