SYRIA STEPS UP OIL EXPLORATION DRIVE

(Ian Seymour and Walid Khadduri of MEES, who recently visited Syria, report on current developments on the Syrian oil scene.)

Syria, which has only a modest excess of oil production over consumption, is mounting a big effort to stimulate oil and gas exploration activity, by encouraging investment by foreign oil companies from both West and East as well as stepping up operations by the Syrian national company. In a climate of extreme economic stringency,...