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Thursday, August 13, 2015
Excerpts: Gas production consortium. Jordan has no ambitions in Syria August 13, 2015

Excerpts: Gas production consortium. Jordan has no ambitions in Syria August
13, 2015

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)13 Aug.’15:”Netanyahu Announces Major Offshore
Gas Deal”, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Gas production consortium



QUOTE:”P.M. Netanyahu (13 Aug.)announced a major deal between his government
and a consortium …on natural gas production in the Mediterranean Sea”

FULL TEXT:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday announced a
major deal between his government and a consortium including U.S. firm Noble
Energy on natural gas production in the Mediterranean Sea.

The agreement is aimed at ending months of uncertainty and setting a
framework for the exploitation of gas discoveries that are expected to bring
major new government revenue.

Political risks however remain, including a possible vote in parliament,
where Netanyahu holds only a one-seat majority.

"The agreement will bring in hundreds of billions of shekels (tens of
billions of dollars) to Israeli citizens over the coming years," Netanyahu
said in a televised statement, without providing details.

"I shall bring this agreement to the cabinet on Sunday[16 Aug]. I'm sure it
will pass by a large majority of votes."

Noble and locally based firm Delek have since 2013 produced gas from the
Tamar field off the Israeli coast. They have also teamed up to develop the
offshore Leviathan field, considered the largest in the Mediterranean.

Previous agreements have been criticized by anti-trust authorities, leading
to the opening of new talks under intense political pressure. Critics have
feared regulations would overly favor the companies involved.

In May, antitrust commissioner David Gilo said he was resigning over his
opposition to the dominant position of Noble and Delek in the Leviathan and
Tamar fields.

Criticism of existing agreements had unnerved foreign investors eying the
development of Leviathan, one of the largest offshore gas discoveries
worldwide in the last decade. Political and regulatory uncertainty have also
been major concerns.

Production at Tamar is destined for the domestic market, aimed at
guaranteeing energy independence for Israel, which is isolated in the
region.

Further production could also provide the country with strategic leverage if
it becomes a supplier to the Palestinian Authority as well as countries such
as Jordan and Egypt.

- Cost of living

Discussions between the government and the consortium have centered on
natural gas pricing for Israeli reserves and future production.

Local media have reported that, under the deal, the price of gas will be
linked to an energy index, which will result in rates lower than in previous
agreements.The consortium is also said to have agreed to invest $1.5 billion
to develop the Leviathan field over the next two years. Failing to meet the
requirement would allow the government to back out of a commitment not to
alter fiscal and regulatory terms for the gas industry until 2025.

Netanyahu has pushed hard to speed up gas production in the Mediterranean,
drawing criticism from political opponents who accuse him of not ensuring
sufficient benefits for the Israeli public in the negotiations.

His inner cabinet in June took the rare decision of declaring gas production
to be linked to national security -- allowing the government to override
laws related to monopolies.

The talks have occurred at a time of serious concern over the cost of living
in Israel, with the issue a major topic of debate in the run-up to elections
last March.


+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 13 Aug,’15:”We have ‘no ambitions in Syria, no
connection and no spies’ –P.M. “,by JT

SUBJECT: Jordan has no ambitions in Syria

QUOTE:”P.M.Abdullah Ensour (12 Aug.) said Jordan has ‘no ambitions, no links
and no spies’ in Syria”

FULL TEXT:AMMAN ─ Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Wednesday[12 Aug] said
Jordan has “no ambitions, no links and no spies” in Syria, reiterating
Jordan's support of a political solution in Syria since the beginning of the
crisis there.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Tammam
Salam that was held at the conclusion of the Joint Jordanian-Lebanese Higher
Committee meetings, Ensour stressed that Syria's security and stability are
in the best interest of Jordan.

Jordan has not approached any organisations in Syria and does not have the
funds to finance any of them, the premier added, and this “does not
undermine Jordan’s image, whereas other parties have the funds,
organisations and multiple players” inside Syria, he said.

Ensour noted that the border with Syria extends around 380km and there are
tens of combating parties just across it.

“Our intervention does not exceed offering a wise piece of advice and seek
support for our safety. It is never a bloody intervention,” the premier
added.

Jordan does not interfere in the affairs of others and it is not a crossing
point or a headquarters for any parties that act against any of its
neighbours, Arabs or others, Ensour told reporters, noting that any
uncalculated error is prone to push any country into war.

The crisis in Syria has had grave repercussions that have impacted Jordan,
he pointed out, citing four years of high alert of the military and security
agencies, the disruption of transportation between Jordan and Syria, Lebanon
and south Europe, thus adding more costs on the economy, Ensour elaborated.

Aviation companies were also forced to change their routes, thousands of
Jordanian students were forced to return home from Syrian and Lebanese
universities and 1.4 million Syrian refugees are hosted in Jordan, along
with two million Palestinian refugees, half-a-million Iraqi refugees and
tens of thousands of Yemeni and Libyan refugees, said the premier.

For his part, Salam expressed hope that Jordan and Lebanon will be able to
overcome the repercussions of the crisis in Syria that have weighed heavily
on the two countries as they are the closest to Syria, in terms of their
geographic location, and economic and social ties.

Salam thanked Jordan for its constant support of Lebanon through supporting
its army and security forces in several areas, especially in the fight
against terrorism.

At the end of the joint panel’s meeting, both sides signed eight memoranda
of understanding (MoU) and executive programmes that included an MoU on
cooperation in the youth field and another on cooperation in the radio and
television fields.

They also signed a cooperation programme between the Jordan News Agency,
Petra, and the Lebanese national press agency.

The deals included a cooperation protocol in the fields of energy planning
and renewable energy, and a similar deal in social development, in addition
to an executive programme on tourism cooperation between 2015 and 2020.

Jordan and Lebanon also signed an MoU for cooperation and exchanging
expertise in public administration development and another memorandum
between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and the Lebanese Ministry
of Industry and Trade.

Ensour and Salam signed the meeting minutes.
===================================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

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