Lebanese-Syrian Technical Team Inspects Arab Gas Pipeline

Lebanon's then-Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, Syria's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme, and Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla meet in Amman (Reuters)
Lebanon's then-Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, Syria's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme, and Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla meet in Amman (Reuters)
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Lebanese-Syrian Technical Team Inspects Arab Gas Pipeline

Lebanon's then-Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, Syria's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme, and Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla meet in Amman (Reuters)
Lebanon's then-Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, Syria's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme, and Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla meet in Amman (Reuters)

A joint technical team from the Syrian Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry and the Lebanese Energy Ministry began on Monday inspecting the Arab Gas Pipeline.

Damascus agreed to Beirut's request for assistance in transmitting Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity through Syrian territory to Lebanon during recent talks held in Damascus.

The Syrian Ministry said in a statement to SANA that the team is expected to submit on Tuesday its report on the technical readiness of the gas pipeline at the Lebanese side.

On September 8, the energy ministers of Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon agreed to supply Lebanon with Egyptian gas during a meeting in Amman.

The plan is part of efforts to address Lebanon’s power shortages using Egyptian gas to be supplied via the Arab pipeline established some 20 years ago.

Lebanon hopes to get enough gas to generate power at a power plant in the north.



G7 Foreign Ministers Urge Efforts to Avoid Inflaming Middle East Tensions

The logo of the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting is displayed at Niigata station, ahead of the meeting, in Niigata, Japan, May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
The logo of the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting is displayed at Niigata station, ahead of the meeting, in Niigata, Japan, May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
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G7 Foreign Ministers Urge Efforts to Avoid Inflaming Middle East Tensions

The logo of the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting is displayed at Niigata station, ahead of the meeting, in Niigata, Japan, May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
The logo of the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting is displayed at Niigata station, ahead of the meeting, in Niigata, Japan, May 10, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies called on all parties involved in the current conflict in the Middle East to avoid actions that could lead to an escalation, Italy's foreign minister said on Sunday.
During a videoconference chaired by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the G7 ministers expressed "strong concern about the recent events that could lead to a wider regional spread of the crisis, starting with Lebanon", a statement said.
"We call on the parties concerned to desist from any initiative that could hinder the path of dialogue and moderation and encourage a new escalation."
Italy holds the G7's rotating presidency.
Tensions in the Middle East, inflamed by the 10-month-old war in Gaza, have escalated in recent days after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, said Reuters.
The statement from the G7 meeting also called for the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of hostages there, as well as reaffirming the G7 countries' commitment to intensifying humanitarian aid to the people of the Palestinian enclave.