Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad speaks with US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea in Beirut on July 1, 2022. (Credit: Lebanese Energy Ministry)
BEIRUT — US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea told caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad on Friday that there has been "progress" on the guarantees needed to assure US sanctions do not interfere with a tripartite deal to supply Lebanon with Egyptian gas via Syria.
Here’s what we know:
• The briefing comes 10 days after Lebanon, Egypt and Syria signed an agreement to help Lebanon boost its faltering electricity supply.
• According to the energy minister's press office, Shea assured him, after a trip to Washington, that “efforts are being made to enable Lebanon to implement the gas import agreements in view of [the deal’s] positive impact on the entire region.”
• Shea also reported to Fayad the "progress on the guarantees needed to avoid detrimental repercussions of the Caesar Act,” which sanctions any country, entity or individual that does business with the Syrian regime.
• The gas deal would allow Lebanon to increase its power supply by four hours per day. A week ago, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said his country was "looking forward to working with the World Bank to review the details" of the agreement.
• The agreement has not yet been signed by the World Bank, which is expected to finance the deal. Fayad cited "political" reasons for the delay.
• Initially put forward during the summer of 2021, the project is part of a US-backed initiative to address Lebanon's power shortages. Egypt would supply Lebanon’s northern power plant with natural gas through Jordan and Syria, countries with which contracts were signed on Jan. 26, 2022.