Gas-for-detainees, rebels' deal with regime east Homs

Reporting by Maher Radhwan; Writing by Dani Murad

HOMS (Zaman Al Wasl)-  In a bargaining tactic, a new deal has been agreed on by rebels of the towns of “al-Qaryatain” and “Mahin” (100 km south-east of Homs) and the Assad forces, after yielding to the fighters’ demanded of releasing all of their detainees in an exchange for allowing the regime to repair the “Arab Gas Pipeline” (AGP) which passes across the two villages, and head towards Homs, and then to North of Syria.

The Arab Gas Pipeline has great importance for many countries since it extends from Arish in Egypt, passing through Aqaba, Damascus and Banias, with a branch underwater pipeline to Israel. It has a total length of 1,200 kilometres (750 mi).

And according to sources in al-Badia, the regime has already released 31 detainees of the two villages’ sons in the recent days, and the gas pipeline has been also fixed lately, which is not the first time to be targeted, as it was bombed before by “Liwa al-Qaryatain’s rebels” because they believe it feeds the defense factories in “Sfera”, south of Aleppo.

The details of the deal obtained by Zaman Al Wasl includes: the release of 31 detainees in the first week of the agreement, and then 85% of the rest of detainees during a maximum period of one month and a half from the date of the deal, provided that all the remain prisoners are released before 2/1 /2015, in addition to removing the checkpoint at the city's corniche, stop the arrest of wanted people in the two villages, and all of that in exchange for rebels’ commitment not to obstruct the pipline of "Arab gas" coming from Egypt, which feeds the generating power stations in Syria.

Activists from north of Homs, have confirmed to Zaman Al Wasl that the regime has no choice but to always succumbs to rebels demands, especially when they threaten to target the electricity and gas pipelines between the governorates, because the regime is unable to protect these pipelines and urgently needs them, therefore the it was forced last year to supply electricity to the northern countryside of Homs after being destroyed by the area’s rebels, when they targeted the power transmission towers which connect the southern part of Syria with the northern region “Aleppo and Idlib” .