Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayad travelled to Cairo this week to continue discussions on gas flows to his energy-starved country. Mr Fayad met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and oil minister Tarek El Molla to discuss the finer details of the deal. Following a joint press conference, Mr Molla said that the necessary procedures for delivering gas to Lebanon would be completed “in the next few weeks.”
This seems ambitious, even if one assumes that all checks have been carried out on the extensive pipeline linking the two countries (MEES, 24 September). The US, which has been keen to promote the deal, would also need to provide a waiver or loosen sanctions on the Assad regime, if the gas is to flow through Syrian territory. (CONTINUED - 184 WORDS)