A European Union plan to buy oil from rebel-held areas of Syria is illegal and an "act of aggression," the Syrian foreign ministry warned Tuesday in letters to the United Nations.
A European Union plan to buy oil from rebel-held areas of
Syria
is
illegal and an "act of aggression," the Syrian foreign ministry
warned Tuesday in letters to the United Nations.
"In an unprecedented decision that contradicts international law and the
U.N. Charter... the European Union has decided to allow member states to import
petrol... under the pretext of supporting the opposition," state news
agency
SANA
reported, citing the letters.
"It is an illegal decision and an act of aggression."
Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's troops won a fresh boost on
Monday when the EU eased its oil embargo to let them exploit the resources they
control.
But the decision raised a furious response in
Damascus
.
The EU will be trading "with the so-called opposition Coalition, which represents
no one in
Syria
,"
the letters to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council
said.
The decision is an act of "complicity in the theft of resources that
belong to the Syrian people, represented by the current, legitimate government,"
they added.
"The European Union is following its political and economic campaign that
targets the national economy and the daily bread of Syrian citizens," the
ministry added, referring to EU sanctions on the Assad regime.
EU ministers' decision to ease the 2011 oil embargo will enable companies on a
case-by-case basis not only to import Syrian crude but also to export oil
production technology and investment cash to areas in the hands of the
opposition.
Under the deal, European firms seeking to import Syrian crude or invest in the
energy sector would ask for authorization from their government, which in turn
would confer with
Syria
's
opposition National Coalition to secure its agreement.
At the start of the revolt that broke out in March 2011, Syria's oil production
was slashed by almost two thirds, falling to 130,000 barrels a day in March,
just 0.1% of the world's total production, according to the International
Energy Agency's latest estimates.
The EU is nonetheless concerned that most oilfields in Deir Ezzor in the east
and Hasake in the northeast are controlled by Al-Nusra Front, whose leadership
has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
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