#1 Report: Shortages in Syria are Serious
http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2007/07/report-shortages-in-syria-are-serious.html
[Mewnews, July 27 ] A Syrian friend writes:

In Syria now there are literally severe shortages in electricity, drinking
water, and cooking gas.

All the Syrian people are suffering.

Some of the shortages may be related to the harvest shortfall, caused by a
severe drought.

However, the shortage of fuel may be related to problems in the Syrian and
Iranian oil industries. Syria has to export as much as possible, to help pay
for the MiG-31 jets and other goodies it has purchased from Russia.

Help is on the way however, to allow Mr. Assad to continue to spend money on
his arsenal. The UN agency IFAD will spend $120 million on aid projects in
Syria this year. A $58 million project will correct water shortages in
northern provinces, of which $20 million will be an IFAD loand and $17
million will be an OPEC loan. That will free up some badly needed cash to
finance guerrilla operations in Iraq and buy all that nice Russian military
equipment. Money, as James Baker III famously remarked, is fungible.

The Marshall plan was a fine idea, but it was begun in Germany after the war
was won, not during the war.

Ami Isseroff

#2 Friday, July 27, 2007
More news about Syrian power and water shortages
http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2007/07/more-news-about-syrian-power-and-water.html
[Mewnews, July 27] Our correspondent in Syria has provided more details
concerning the shortages of electricity, cooking gas and water in Syria. He
notes that there are 3.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, straining
resources. Owing to the drought, there is not enough water getting to the
Assad dam on the Furat (Euphrates) river to run the generator turbines.
Additionally, electricity stations are in need of repair and nobody seems to
care. Elecrticity is cut 7 hours a day. The Assi river (Orontes) which
arises in Lebanon and provides water for Hims and Hama has run dry because
of low winter rain and snow precipitation.

He notes that water is available only from 8 AM to 2 PM, and remarks "We
have 2
automatic washing machines but the city water pressure became low, so we
have problems."

Cooking gas bottle replacements have not been made for the last month.

He concludes: "Imagine my situation when there is no electricity and
temperature is
over 30."

It is remarkable that nobody seems to have reported these shortages.

Ami Isseroff