Syria slams UN inaction over US looting billions worth of Syrian oil

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: SANA
11 Sep 2023 00:34
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Syria calls on the United Nations to take action, seeking accountability from the United States for ongoing oil, gas, and wheat looting.

A US occupation soldier patrols near an oil well in al-Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, on June 14, 2023. (AFP)

Syria has strongly condemned ongoing violations of its sovereignty and extensive resource plundering by the United States and affiliated terrorist organizations and militias, state-run Syrian news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian government has called for American officials to be held accountable for these actions and for the US administration to be forced to compensate for them.

In a formal communication addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council, Syria urged the international community to intervene and put an end to the aggressive practices that are being perpetrated by the United States.

These practices, according to the letter, violate the principles of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter. The violations primarily pertain to the presence of US military forces on Syrian territory, as an occupying force, notably in the northeast and the al-Tanf region in the southeast of the country.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates indicated that the US, along with its proxies in the form of terrorist organizations and militias, continue to violate Syrian sovereignty and exploit the nation's wealth and strategic resources.

The United States' plundering of billions worth of Syrian oil and wheat exacerbates the impact of its illegal unilateral sanctions on the country which have led to suffering among Syrians.

According to the Ministry, the cumulative damage inflicted on Syria's oil and mineral wealth sector as a result of aggressive acts, looting, and sabotage carried out by US forces and their associated groups amounts to a staggering $115.2 billion. This damage has been accrued over the period from 2011 up to the first half of 2023.

The Ministry provided a breakdown of the losses within the oil sector, with direct losses estimated at $27.5 billion. These losses were attributed to several factors.

The Ministry pointed to the theft, waste, and destruction of approximately 341 million barrels of extracted oil, totaling $21.4 billion. The rate of theft ranged from 100,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, along with 59.9 million cubic meters of natural gas and 413,000 tons of domestic gas.

Next, Syria revealed vandalism and the theft of production facilities as a factor that has resulted in damages estimated at $3.2 billion. Airstrikes by the US-led coalition on Syrian oil and gas facilities caused approximately $2.9 billion in damages.

Additionally, the Ministry pointed out that indirect losses, amounting to $87.7 billion, represent the value of lost benefits due to reduced production rates below the norm under typical working conditions.

Syria is now demanding accountability from American officials for these alleged thefts and is calling on the US administration to compensate for the losses by putting an end to the illegal occupation of Syrian territories and compensating for stolen natural resources to the Syrian state. Such measures, Syria stresses, are essential to improving the humanitarian and living conditions of the Syrian people.