Consortium of Saudi and US companies eyes energy projects in northeast Syria

One Syrian flag

The three US-based firms had signed an MOU with the Syrian state to develop a masterplan for the country's energy sector in July. Until recently, the eastern Syrian region where much of the country's oil is traditionally produced, was held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who have now agreed to integrate into the state after being pushed back by government forces last month.

Bass, an early proponent of the US lifting sanctions on Syria, said the aim was to bring Syrians together by justly sharing the country's resources. "This new development under one Syrian flag unites the east and west, weaving the country together through economic benefits," he said.

Representatives of most of the companies held meetings in Syria with the Syrian Petroleum Company earlier this month, the sources said. SPC head Youssef Qeblawi did not respond to a request for comment.

Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Sharaa's government, announced multibillion-dollar investments in Syrian transport, infrastructure and telecoms over the weekend, and last week US energy giant Chevron signed an initial Syrian offshore gas exploration agreement, partnering with Qatari firm UCC Holding.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari in Riyadh; additional reporting by Yousef Saba in Dubai; editing by Kirsten Donovan)