Iraq, Syria discuss flow of Egyptian gas through Syria to Iraq

BAGHDAD, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar and his Syrian counterpart Bassam Touma discussed here on Thursday the possibility of transporting Egyptian natural gas to Iraq through the Syrian territories.

A statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil said that Abdul-Jabbar received in his office Touma and his accompanying delegation, and the two sides "discussed issues of common interest and future visions regarding the benefiting from the Egyptian gas and the possibility of transporting it through the Syrian territories."

Abdul-Jabbar said that the move to benefit from the Egyptian gas came as Iraq is keen to strengthen its relations with the countries of the region and the world in all fields, the statement said.

For his part, Touma said that his talks with Abdul-Jabbar "included ideas and visions for future projects, cooperation in training, and exchange of experiences," according to the statement.

It is worth noting that Iraq depends mainly on imported Iranian natural gas to produce electric power, but due to the unpaid bills, Iran slashed the supply of natural gas to Iraq, causing an acute electricity shortage.

Moreover, Iraq is under pressure from the United States to stop importing gas from Iran, which is subject to U.S. sanctions, but Iraqi officials have repeatedly said that they need more time to find an alternative source.