For two and a half years, US officials and DC-based institutions have stalled the implementation of an energy-sharing deal that could help Lebanon mitigate its dire energy crisis
US ambassador Lisa Johnson urged Lebanon to “revive” dormant agreements with Jordan and Egypt for electricity imports via Syria, praising the “opportunity” after Washington eased some restrictions on Damascus this week.
Johnson made these comments during a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad on 8 January, the eve of a crucial parliamentary session where lawmakers are expected to vote on a president for the crisis-hit nation.
The deals that Johnson hopes Beirut will “revive” are the brainchild of her predecessor, Dorothy Shea, who proposed them in August 2021 as an alternative to Iranian fuel shipments brought into the country by Hezbollah, aimed at mitigating a severe energy crisis.
Under US sponsorship, the agreements to supply Lebanon with gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan via Syria were made official in June 2022. The nations involved also repaired the Arab Gas Pipeline, while Damascus rehabilitated its electricity grid to sustain the transfers.
Nevertheless, since the signing of the agreements, the US government has repeatedly stalled the issue of sanctions waivers for Beirut, Amman, and Cairo to begin the transfers, claiming that helping Lebanon receive energy via Syrian territory would undermine US Caesar Act sanctions.
🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle .
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