DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A senior Lebanese government delegation asked Syria on Wednesday to allow Egyptian natural gas and Jordanian electricity to pass through its territory to ease a crippling fuel crisis that has paralyzed Lebanon. “The Lebanese side asked Syria’s help in facilitating the transfer of Egyptian natural gas and Jordanian electricity through Syrian territories. The Syrian side welcomed the request,” said Nasri Khoury, the head of Damascus-based Syrian Lebanese Higher Council, a government-linked body for bilateral relations. The flow of Egyptian natural gas to Syria was discontinued in 2010 because of sabotage attacks and shortages. It is not clear if the U.S. would consider the transfer of natural gas through Syria as a humanitarian gesture, since humanitarian aid is exempt from the sanctions.
