VOL. XL

No. 33

18-August-1997

SYRIA

Israel Upholds Ban On Oil Drilling In Golan Heights

Reports from Israel indicate that the government is continuing to impose a ban on oildrilling in the occupied Golan Heights. It will be recalled that the Israeli state-ownedcompany, National Oil Company (NOC), won the drilling rights in the Golan Heights fiveyears ago, but the previous Labor Government never gave the final go-ahead for explorationpresumably in order not to antagonize Syria with which it was...