Qatar will supply gas to Syria through Jordan, with the US's approval, sources claim
Three people with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that Qatar will supply Syria with gas through Jordan in order to improve its meager electricity supply. A U.S. official has said the move was approved by Washington.
Qatar would provide the most tangible support to the new government in Damascus. Qatar is one of the strongest supporters of the rebels, who have now taken over the reins of power after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
Unnamed U.S. officials said that the Trump administration had given a thumbs up to the gas deal, but did not specify how they communicated this.
The U.S. is still actively involved in Syria despite its cautious approach to easing sanctions.
Two sources confirmed that the gas would be transported from Jordan to southern Syria via a pipeline, where it will boost the power supply up to 400 Megawatts.
Two Jordanian officials claimed they did not know that Qatari gas would be arriving via vessel in the coming days. A second official confirmed that Qatar could provide gas, and finance it.
A request for comments sent by email to the U.S. State Department or Qatar's Foreign Ministry was not responded to.
Syria is suffering from severe electricity shortages. In most areas, the state only supplies electricity for two to three hours per day. The damage to the grid makes it impossible to generate or supply more electricity.
Damascus received the majority of its oil used for power generation in Damascus from Iran. But since Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew Tehran-allied ex-president Assad last December, supplies have been cut.
The interim government has promised to increase power supply quickly, partly through the importation of electricity from Jordan as well as using floating power bars that are yet to arrive.
The Western diplomat who was briefed about the plan said that it is part of Doha's effort to provide tangible support to Syria's new leaders in response to their political support from Gulf Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The diplomat stated that "they are eager to give something even if the difference is not huge."
Due to U.S. Sanctions on Syria, Gulf support has not been matched with official, tangible aid, despite an exemption issued in January which allowed certain transactions, including those on energy.
The exemption does not lift any sanctions and those who want to engage with Syria are seeking additional guarantees.
Reports last month indicated that Qatar had delayed providing funds to Syria's new leaders to increase the pay of public sector workers due to concerns over possible sanctions violations by the United States. (Reporting and editing by Bernadettebaum and Aiden Lewis; Additional reporting and editing by Suleiman al-Khalidi, Amman)
(source: Reuters)
