Jumblatt Meets Aoun to Mend Relations, Prevent Strife in Mount Lebanon

Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
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Jumblatt Meets Aoun to Mend Relations, Prevent Strife in Mount Lebanon

Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)
Aoun and Jumblatt during their meeting in Baabda on Monday (Dalati & Nohra)

The head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), former deputy Walid Jumblatt, made a surprise visit to the Baabda Palace on Monday to meet with President Michel Aoun, for the first time in nearly a year, despite the deep disagreement between them, and the direct attack by Jumblatt and his team against the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).

Sources close to the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the main reason behind the meeting was to ease tension in Mount Lebanon and prevent a lurking clash.

According to the sources, MP Farid Boustani, a member of Aoun’s parliamentary bloc, sought to mediate between the two sides, “in order to prevent a further political escalation” between Christians and Druze in the region.

The same sources noted that the meeting touched on the upcoming meeting in Baabda, which would gather the heads of political blocs to discuss the economic rescue plan recently adopted by the government.

Jumblatt apologized for not being able to attend the gathering for health reasons, but said he would present his written comments to the president, according to the sources.

In remarks following the meeting, the PSP leader said he agreed with the president on the need to tackle controversial issues with “rationality.”

“I visited President Aoun in a goodwill initiative, in order to clear the dispute with the (Free Patriotic Movement),” he noted.

Jumblatt stressed that he was not part of any bilateral or tripartite alliances, saying: “My own calculations are based on the necessity to shape the relationship and manage the dispute with the FPM.”



Drone Attack Halts Oil Output at Sarsang Field in Iraqi Kurdistan

An oil field in Dibis area on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq (File Photo: Reuters)
An oil field in Dibis area on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq (File Photo: Reuters)
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Drone Attack Halts Oil Output at Sarsang Field in Iraqi Kurdistan

An oil field in Dibis area on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq (File Photo: Reuters)
An oil field in Dibis area on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq (File Photo: Reuters)

A drone attack halted production at the Sarsang oilfield in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Tuesday only hours before its US operator signed a deal to develop another field.

The Sarsang field is operated by HKN Energy, a privately held US oil and gas company active in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and owned by Hillwood Energy, part of the Hillwood group founded by Ross Perot Jr.

Two hours after the morning attack, HKN Vice President Matthew Zais was in Baghdad with Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani to sign a preliminary agreement to develop the Himreen oilfield in northern Iraq, the oil ministry said, Reuters reported.

The signing ceremony was also attended by US Ambassador Steven Fagin, whose embassy condemned the drone attacks on oil infrastructure in the Kurdistan region and urged the Iraqi government to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.

Washington said such attacks undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and efforts to attract foreign investment.

Production at the Sarsang field was halted as a precautionary measure after an explosion, two engineers told Reuters.

Kurdistan regional authorities confirmed that the blast was from a drone attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi Kurdistan security sources said that initial investigations suggested that the drone came from areas under the control of Iran-backed militias.

Heavy plumes of smoke were seen rising from the Sarsang field in the Dohuk region of northern Iraq, said one oil engineer at the field.

Field operator HKN said that the halt to production was to allow firefighters to extinguish the fire, later adding that emergency response teams contained the damage.

There were no casualties, Iraqi Kurdistan's ministry of natural resources and HKN said.

The incident is under investigation and a full assessment of the damage has been initiated, the company said without providing further detail on the cause of the explosion.

On Monday two drones fell on the Khurmala oilfield near Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, damaging the water pipes at the field.