Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Suleiman al-Abbas dismissed accusations Saturday by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the Syrian government had engaged in the selling and purchase of oil from the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations.
In statements during a press conference after the Vienna talks on Syria, Kerry accused the Syrian government of having oil trade deals with ISIS.
These allegations are totally untrue, the minister stressed, affirming that the Syrian government prohibits by all available means oil theft from fields and wells inside Syria.
The minister condemned all states which have encouraged and facilitated the theft and marketing of Syrian oil, stressing these are the same countries that pushed for a European Union resolution against the marketing of stolen oil in 2013.
Abbas asserted that the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is the only body authorized to invest in oil through its constitutions and companies, emphasizing that the only way to deal with these armed terrorist organizations is through “the guns of the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army.”
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
