Egypt Delays The Arrival Of Qatari Fuel

Government Media Office - Egypt Delays The Arrival Of Qatari Fuel

16/05/2012

The Gaza Energy and Natural Resources Authority announced that deliberate delays by the Egyptian authorities, as well as lack of coordination between Egyptian intelligence services and Egyptian General Petroleum, have held up the arrival of a shipment of Qatari fuel to Gaza.

The Authority said in a statement on Wednesday that it has made every effort and completed all required actions in order to receive the Qatari fuel shipment, which is still in reservoirs in the port of Suez . They noted that for the past four months the only power plant in Gaza has been operating with only one of its four generators because of a lack of fuel supplies.

The Energy and Natural Resources authority called on the Egyptian authorities to allow the Qatari fuel into Gaza immediately.

It considers that the Israeli authorities' insistence, with Egypt's approval, that the fuel enter Gaza through the Awja crossing has caused unacceptable delays in the arrival of this Arabic aid to Gaza, and enables the Zionist entity to blackmail and control the Palestinian people, as transportation costs increase if fuel must come through the Awja crossing.

In addition, allowing only 450 thousand liters per day is sufficient to run just two generators out of four, meaning the electricity crisis in Gaza will not be solved and power cuts will continue. Further, transferring all Qatari fuel shipments through this route will take 65 days, but the power plant is in dire need of immediate fuel as summer is almost here, a season in which power consumption doubles.

Translation: Ibraheem Ghunaim

ENDS

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