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2019-04-20 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
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Syria-Iraq trade stymied by US border presence
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[atimes] Damascus and Baghdad have taken steps to facilitate trade, but crossing remains firmly shut from Iraqi side
Syria in recent weeks laid the groundwork for a resumption of badly needed overland trade with Iraq, with an eye on restoring billions worth of trade lost during the eight-year war.
On April 10, Iraqi Minister of Trade Mohammed Hisham al-Ani visited Damascus to seal a wide-ranging protocol with his Syrian counterpart. The agreement entailed broad cooperation in the spheres of energy, water and transportation, as well as commerce, investment and banking.
Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis, whose cabinet is currently grappling with unprecedented energy shortages, stressed to the Iraqi trade minister the importance of resuming land transport between Syria and its oil-rich neighbor.
EYE ON AL-QAIM
The key crossing to watch is Al-Qaim (Albu Kamal on the Iraqi side), the only one along Syria’s 600-kilometer border with Iraq that is controlled by the Syrian government.
To date, there has been no movement through the crossing. The unspoken assumption is that US political pressure is preventing the Iraqi government from reopening this vital land border.
Despite valid security concerns of lingering ISIS pockets, the connection is logistically and diplomatically feasible.
The suspicions of US intervention come against the backdrop of similar allegations of pressure on Jordan. Last month, reports emerged that officials from the US embassy in Amman had warned Jordanian businessmen against investing in the Syrian market and moved to block shipments of oil products from Jordan to Syria. Such pressures could explain why the reopening of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan has reaped only meager benefits for both countries to date.
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Posted by 3dc 2019-04-20 00:00||
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File under: Govt of Syria
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Posted by Frank G 2019-04-20 08:14||
2019-04-20 08:14||
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Posted by Glenmore 2019-04-20 18:31||
2019-04-20 18:31||
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Posted by chris 2019-04-20 21:03||
2019-04-20 21:03||
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