- (online.wsj.com)“Iran, Iraq, Syria Sign $10 Billion Gas-Pipeline Deal,” July 25, 2011 8:35 a.m. ET
- a new Middle East pipeline, changing the geopolitical complexion of the region with dire consequences for the ... West, would run from the Iranian South Pars gas field to Damascus via Iraq territory.
(Natural Gas Asia) Syria Looks to Iran for LNG
- Syria is keen on importing about 900,000 tons of liquefied natural gas from Iran, Managing Director of the Syrian oil refining and distribution company Nazih Jouhara said. ...
(Natural Gas Asia) Syria Announces Gas Discovery
- ...“The first wells were drilled at Qara in Homs governorate and the flow rate is 400,000 cubic meters per day.” Oil Minister Sufian Allawi was quoted as saying by state news agency SANA.
“This discovery opens new perspectives in the region of Qalamun and the Syrian company will continue its drilling,” said Allawi, adding that the field was located in the Basin of Dau.
He said Syria’s natural gas production has reached 30.29 million cubic meters per day, up by 3 million cubic meters since last year. Oil production in Syria is about 380,000 barrels per day, Allawi added.
Syria has partially replaced oil with gas as fuel in its power stations on falling crude production.
The nation’s gas reserves, estimated at 284 billion cubic meters, may increase after new discoveries in many parts of the country, Allawi added.
Most of Syria’s oil is used domestically, but it exports approximately 150,000 barrels per day. Around 95 percent of that goes to Europe, primarily to Italy, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
(321 Energy)Syria, Turkey, Israel and a Greater Middle East Energy War
- (Excerpt)
...
The geopolitical dimension
The significant question to be asked at this point is what could bind Israel, Turkey, Qatar in a form of unholy alliance on the one side, and Assad's Syria, Iran, Russia and China on the other side, in such deadly confrontation over the political future of Syria? One answer is energy geopolitics.
What has yet to be fully appreciated in geopolitical assessments of the Middle East is the dramatically rising importance of the control of natural gas to the future of not only Middle East gas producing countries, but also of the EU and Eurasia including Russia as producer and China as consumer.
Natural gas is rapidly becoming the "clean energy" of choice to replace coal and nuclear electric generation across the European Union, most especially since Germany's decision to phase out nuclear after the Fukushima disaster. Gas is regarded as far more "environmentally friendly" in terms of its so-called "carbon footprint." The only realistic way EU governments, from Germany to France to Italy to Spain, will be able to meet EU mandated CO2 reduction targets by 2020 is a major shift to burning gas instead of coal. Gas reduces CO2 emissions by 50-60% over coal. Given that the economic cost of using gas instead of wind or other alternative energy forms is dramatically lower, gas is rapidly becoming the energy of demand for the EU, the biggest emerging gas market in the world.
Huge gas resource discoveries in Israel, in Qatar and in Syria combined with the emergence of the EU as the world's potentially largest natural gas consumer, combine to create the seeds of the present geopolitical clash over the Assad regime.
Syria-Iran-Iraq Gas pipeline
In July 2011, as the NATO and Gulf states' destabilization operations against Assad in Syria were in full swing, the governments of Syria, Iran and Iraq signed an historic gas pipeline energy agreement which went largely unnoticed amid CNN reports of the Syrian unrest. The pipeline, envisioned to cost $10 billion and take three years to complete, would run from the Iranian Port Assalouyeh near the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, to Damascus in Syria via Iraq territory. Iran ultimately plans then to extend the pipeline from Damascus to Lebanon's Mediterranean port where it would be delivered to EU markets. Syria would buy Iranian gas along with a current Iraqi agreement to buy Iranian gas from Iran's part of South Pars field.
South Pars, whose gas reserves lie in a huge field that is divided between Qatar and Iran in the Gulf, is believed to be the world's largest single gas field. De facto it would be a Shi'ite gas pipeline from Shi'ite Iran via Shi'ite-majority Iraq onto Shi'ite-friendly Alawite Al-Assad's Syria.
Adding to the geopolitical drama is the fact that the South Pars gas find lies smack in the middle of the territorial divide in the Persian Gulf between Shi'ite Iran and the Sunni Salafist Qatar. Qatar also just happens to be a command hub for the Pentagon's US Central Command, headquarters of United States Air Forces Central, No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing of the USAF. In brief Qatar, in addition to owning and hosting the anti-Al-Assad TV station Al-Jazeera, which beams anti-Syria propaganda across the Arab world, Qatar is tightly linked to the US and NATO military presence in the Gulf.
Qatar apparently has other plans with their share of the South Pars field than joining up with Iran, Syria and Iraq to pool efforts. Qatar has no interest in the success of the Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline, which would be entirely independent of Qatar or Turkey transit routes to the opening EU markets. In fact it is doing everything possible to sabotage it, up to and including arming Syria's rag-tag "opposition" fighters, many of them Jihadists sent in from other countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Libya.
Further adding to Qatar's determination to destroy the Syria-Iran-Iraq gas cooperation is the discovery in August 2011 by Syrian exploration companies of a huge new gas field in Qara near the border with Lebanon and near to the Russian-leased Naval port of Tarsus on the Syrian Mediterranean. Any export of Syrian or Iranian gas to the EU would go through the Russian-tied port of Tarsus. According to informed Algerian sources, the new Syrian gas discoveries, though the Damascus government is downplaying it, are believed to equal or exceed those of Qatar.
As Asia Times' knowledgeable analyst Pepe Escobar pointed out in a recent piece, Qatar's scheme calls for export of its huge gas reserves via Jordan's Gulf of Aqaba, a country where a Muslim Brotherhood threat to the dictatorship of the King is also threatening. The Emir of Qatar has apparently cut a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood in which he backs their international expansion in return for a pact of peace at home in Qatar. A Muslim Brotherhood regime in Jordan and also in Syria, backed by Qatar, would change the entire geopolitics of the world gas market suddenly and decisively in Qatar's favor and to the disadvantage of Russia, Syria, Iran and Iraq. That would also be a staggering negative blow to China.
As Escobar points out, "it's clear what Qatar is aiming at: to kill the US$10 billion Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline, a deal that was clinched even as the Syria uprising was already underway. Here we see Qatar in direct competition with both Iran (as a producer) and Syria (as a destination), and to a lesser extent, Iraq (as a transit country). It's useful to remember that Tehran and Baghdad are adamantly against regime change in Damascus." He adds, "if there's regime change in Syria - helped by the Qatari-proposed invasion - things get much easier in Pipelineistan terms. A more than probable Muslim Brotherhood (MB) post-Assad regime would more than welcome a Qatari pipeline. And that would make an extension to Turkey much easier."
...
Iran, Iraq, Syria to Construct Gas Pipeline to Europe
- ... Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Javad Oji said Iran, Iraq and Syria will sign an agreement on the construction of a pipeline to transfer Iran's natural gas to Europe, Iran's Energy and Oil Information Network (Shana) reported ...
Under the deal, natural gas produced in Iran's South Pars oil and gas field will be pumped through Iran, Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea before reaching Europe, he said.
... Oji said the pipeline would ultimately have the capacity to pump 110 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. ...
Syria, Turkey, Israel and a Greater Middle East Energy War
- .... Any export of Syrian or Iranian gas to the EU would go through the Russian-tied port of Tarsus. ....
Role of Natural Gas Assets in Middle East Conflict
... Russia could view the development of Leviathan as a geopolitical threat, but more likely it will treat it as an opportunity to protect and enhance its ability to supply gas to Europe. The basin offers a potential Southern alternative to the Northern gas pipelines from Russia, but unlike the planned Nabucco pipeline, its development is unlikely to be free of Russian interests. While Russian involvement could limit the extent to which Europe is eager to rely on Leviathan-sourced gas supplies, prices will be the more significant factor as the European economies continues to falter. The discovery of the Leviathan basin has already altered the regional balance of power in the Middle East and Europe, dividing Turkey and Israel and stoking tensions with Iran. And while mutual economic interests typically beget cooperation, the prospect of conflict remains in a time of great political uncertainty. Therefore, both caution and active mediation are required. The economies of Europe, not to mention the Middle East and beyond, cannot afford to let miscalculation or aggression slow the development of critical resources. ...
(Investor Place) The EU’s Gazprom Headache
- ... Russia’s EU Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov ... added that Russia will always “favor negotiated solutions because nobody wants a gas war.”
There lies the biggest issue. Russia will always do right by Russia first. Nothing in its history has said otherwise. The quasi-capitalist country isn’t going to play fair, just because the EU wants it to. Especially in this case because it has the upper hand and easily could turn off the spigot. A winter in the Balkans is mighty mighty cold without heat.
At the same time, short of outright asset seizures or perhaps conflict, the EU realistically will have a tremendously difficult time forcing the Kremlin to pay those potential fines.
And Russia should have no trouble finding new sources of demand for all that natural gas, if it decides to give the EU the proverbial finger. Already, the nation is looking both east and west to secure new contracts. Gazprom recently signed a $7 billion liquefied natural gas contract with Japan and is currently in talks with Argentina’s YPF (NYSE:YPF) to provide LNG as well as drilling technology. ...
( RIA Novosti ) Russia Protests Grounding of Syria-Bound Plane
- ... Russia expressed a thinly veiled protest on Thursday at the grounding by Turkish authorities of a Moscow-Damascus passenger jet over accusations it was carrying "illegal cargo."
Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced down the Syrian Air Airbus A320 some three hours after it had taken off from Moscow's Vnukovo international airport. Turkey eventually permitted the A320 to resume its flight after a five-hour inspection of the aircraft that resulted in the seizure of a number of items. "There is illegal cargo on the plane that should have been reported," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told national media.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the intercepted plane was carrying Russian-made military gear and ammunition destined for the Syrian military.
“We are concerned that the life and security of the passengers, including 17 Russian nationals, was endangered,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.
He said Turkey had not informed Russia that its nationals were on board and that Russian embassy officials and doctors had been denied access to the plane.
“Russia insists on an explanation of such behavior with regard to the Russian nationals and demands that measures be taken to prevent any such incidents happening in the future,” he said. ...
Turkey expressed gratitude to Russia for increasing gas shipment to make up for force-major disruptions
- ... The request was triggered off by two accidents: first on the pipeline coming from Azerbaijan and then by an explosion on the pipeline from Iran.
For the period of repair works, the gas deliveries of Azeri and Iranian gas were halted for the time being. ...
Turkey "Admits" Russian Air Cargo Legal
- ( GlobalResearch.ca )US “Military Aid” to Syrian Opposition Goes to Al Qaeda
- American Intelligence officials are acknowledging that the bulk of the weapons flowing into Syria for the US-backed war to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad are going into the hands of Al Qaeda and like-minded Islamist militias.
A lead article appearing in the New York Times Monday confirms the mounting reports from the region that jihadist elements are playing an increasingly prominent role in what has become a sectarian civil war in Syria. ...
The whole point of this information is that there are MANY MANY NATIONS affected by this Syrian Conflict, and it's all about Oil, gas, money, and power.
Here's why the Muslim Brotherhood wants to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, and their Rebels launching the chemical attack was mean to get Obama to fight their war for them.
I believe that Obama had already agreed with Saudi Prince Bandar to blame the wrong party for the chemical attack, and that he knew before hand that the Syrian Rebels were really the ones responsible.
Obama doesn't care about the truth, but only advancing the Muslim Brotherhood.
Obama is PURE EVIL. It's just that simple!
I'd be more concerned about Putin and what his Russian submarines will do, in support of Syria, and Vladimir Putin's desire for the recently found oil fields in and around Syria.
Putin's not about to let that oil field and his only semi warm water port in Sevastopol, fall into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood.
To say the least, Russia has real national security interest in that area, and that news oil field goes well south of Turkey and into Syria.
