China to build oil refinery in Syria near alleged nuclear plant bombed by Israel
Agreement to establish petroleum refinery part of plans to bolster cooperation between countries in oil and gas industry
Syria and China Wednesday signed an agreement to establish a petroleum refinery as part of plans to bolster cooperation in the oil and gas industry, the official SANA news agency reported Thursday.
According to the report, the refinery will have a daily refining capacity of 100,000 barrels of crude oil and is due to be completed by 2011adding that the refinery will be built in the Abu Khashab region of the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor, where Syria had allegedly attempted to build a nuclear plant with North Korea's assistance.
The site in Abu Khashab was bombed by the Israeli Air Force last September. Opposition leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) was the first Israeli government official to acknowledge the air strike in Syria, after admitting he was privy to the decision in a television interview.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported last January that during his meeting in Tokyo with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert admitted that the strike targeted a nuclear facility.
SANA further reported that deal was signed alongside an agreement by China to provide Syria with 20 million yuan ($3 million) to finance a series of joint projects in oil, telecommunication and agriculture.
News agencies contributed to the report
