Parliament Speaker Deputy Elias Bou Saab. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Parliament Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab confirmed Wednesday that Washington is committed to lifting the Caesar sanctions to implement one component of the US initiative to improve Lebanon's electricity production.
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act sanctions the Syrian government, including president Bashar al-Assad, for war crimes against the population. The sanctions extend to any person or entity providing financial, material or technological support to the Syrian government.
According to Bou Saab, the US "promised to lift the Caesar sanctions" as part of an agreement for Lebanon to receive electricity from Jordan and natural gas from Egypt through Syria.
Announced during the summer of 2021 and presented as an emergency measure to help Lebanon meet its public electricity need amid its ongoing economic crisis, the initiative has still not been implemented despite repeated announcements by US authorities.
Elias Bou Saab said the World Bank is to blame for the holdup.
The financial institution agreed to finance the operations on the condition that Lebanon implements reforms, including increased public electricity prices and a new recruitment process for members of the Electricity Regulatory Authority.
Without offering details, Bou Saab announced the possibility for new companies to join the consortium composed of Qatar Energy, France's TotalEnergies and Italy's Eni that will begin exploration for offshore hydrocarbons in blocks No. 4 and 9 of Lebanon's exclusive economic zone.