Eng. Sufian Allaw Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources discussed with Abdul Karim Bahez Allaibi, Deputy oil minister ways to enhance cooperation between Syria and Iraq in the transfer of crude oil and gas from Iraq to Syria and across to other States.

The two sides discussed the possibility of transfer of Iraqi crude oil to Syria through the current line connecting Kirkuk-Banias and the establishment of new routes for the transfer of other amounts of crude to Syria and exported through the port of Banias.

The two sides also discussed areas of cooperation to set up lines for the transfer of Iraqi natural gas to be processed in Syria, or export to the outside in addition to discuss cooperation for the completion and rehabilitation of the Iraqi Akkas gas near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Hassan Zeinab, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. The pipeline Kirkuk – Banias is the oil pipeline with a length of more than 800 km, up the pipeline between the Kirkuk oil field in Iraq and the port of Banias in Syria with a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day, opened in 1952 and reopened for the time first in November 2000 after the cessation of lasted 18 years before being closed again during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Syria was imported from Iraq by March 2003, about two hundred thousand barrels of oil per day at preferential prices.

Also referred to Akkas is located near the Iraqi border with Syria, believed to contain around seven trillion cubic feet of gas, or about 6% of estimated total gas presence in Iraq of 112 trillion cubic feet.

Akkas produces about 50 million cubic feet of gas per day with the possibility of increasing this amount to 450 million cubic feet per day in the event of further development of the field.

Iraqi government is keen to start operations in this field as soon as possible and export production through Syria to Europe.

Syria Oil