Europe and the Politics Of Syrian Oil
The EU lifted a ban on the export of Syrian oil from rebel areas and must figure out how to get hold of the oil, much of which lies under destroyed infrastructure and in areas of active fighting, writes Nasser Chararah.
Last month's European resolution to lift the embargo on supplying oil equipment to and buying oil from the Syrian opposition was a landmark in the Syrian crisis.
For its part, the regime believes that this is a sign of a close relationship between the motives of the internal war in Syria and the future of oil in the country. According to information obtained from independent Syrian sources that are linked to the Syrian oil sector, the implementation of this European resolution faces major obstacles.
Chief among these, according to sources who spoke to Al-Monitor, is the current condition of the Syrian oil fields. This is completely unknown, because the fighting has destroyed infrastructure and a number of wells, and some equipment has been stolen and sold outside Syria.
Therefore, the first requirement for the European countries to buy oil from the opposition is the technical rehabilitation of these fields. This, in turn, requires sending engineering teams to examine their current condition, an adventurous task given the lack of security in these areas.
