01 April 2013 - orsam

A total of nine wells had been set on fire
by the rebels, the agency added, without
saying when the other six had been set
ablaze.
Furat was not immediately able to
comment on the report.
Somber Easter for Syria's Christians
Syrian Christians marked a somber Easter
on Sunday, many having to observe the
holy day in areas devastated by Syria's
conflict, including in the northern hamlet
of Ghassaniyeh.
European Union sanctions imposed on
Syria two years ago over President Bashar
al-Assad's crackdown on protests - which
have since developed into armed conflict -
effectively halted Syria's modest oil
exports.
Assad's government has also struggled to
meet domestic energy requirements after
losing control of large parts of the east of
the country, where most of the oil wells
are located.
But despite the fighting residents say oil
production has continued in some fields,
with rebels trading with local authorities
and allowing oil to be shipped to
government-controlled areas.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent
/2/8/68163/World/Region/Syria-saysrebels-set-fire-to-three-eastern-oilwe.aspx
The Christian town on the edge of Idlib
province was once home to some 10,000
residents, all of them Catholics except six
Muslim families.
Now Ghassaniyeh is a ghost town, with no
more than 15 of its residents left.
"We weren't able to celebrate either the
Passion or the Crucifixion, we didn't dare
to leave our homes," 88-year-old Giorgio
told AFP, referring to religious ceremonies
on Good Friday.
But Giorgio, one of the last residents left
in the town, decided to make it to church
for the Easter Sunday service.
Dressed in a blue trousers, a beige jacket
and traditional white headscarf, he
marked the occasion with eight other
residents, four nuns and two priests.
Sayfa 41