Technical Teams Inspecting Libya's Zawiya Refinery after Fire

A Libyan flag is seen outside an oil refinery in Zawiya on Sept. 23, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
A Libyan flag is seen outside an oil refinery in Zawiya on Sept. 23, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Technical Teams Inspecting Libya's Zawiya Refinery after Fire

A Libyan flag is seen outside an oil refinery in Zawiya on Sept. 23, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)
A Libyan flag is seen outside an oil refinery in Zawiya on Sept. 23, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images)

Technical teams at Libya's Zawiya refinery were carrying out inspections on Monday after a fire broke out in several reservoirs the previous day.

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure on Sunday after reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery were severely damaged due to ongoing clashes between armed groups in its vicinity, Reuters reported.

"In principle, things are very reassuring, calm prevails in the region, and the chances of returning to work in the refinery are very high, despite the material and moral losses," NOC spokesperson Khaled Abulgasem Gulam said on Monday.

After the inspection, NOC will assess the security situation before deciding to lift the force majeure, Gulam said, adding that Zawiya's oil port is working normally.

Zawiya, 40 km (25 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, is home to Libya's largest functioning refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery is connected to the country's 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield.



Trump Says He May Ease Sanctions on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Trump Says He May Ease Sanctions on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he may ease US sanctions on Syria in response to a query from his Turkish counterpart.

Syria has struggled to implement conditions set out by Washington for relief from US sanctions, which keep the country cut off from the global financial system and make economic recovery extremely challenging after 14 years of grinding war.

"We may take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start," Trump told reporters.

He said he had been asked about Syria sanctions by Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Many people have asked me about that, because the way we have them sanctioned, it doesn't really give them much of a start. So we want to see we can help them out," Trump said.