Cyprus, Israel move closer on East Med gas

[King_David]

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The governments of Cyprus and Israel, which both have seemingly intractable problems with Turkey, are moving closer together over the increasingly thorny issue of vast natural gas fields under the eastern Mediterranean.

The energy dispute, which already has Israel and neighboring Lebanon threatening each other, has spurred a major geopolitical realignment in the region where oil and natural gas have long been in short supply and heightened tensions.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated in 2010 that more than 122 trillion cubic feet of gas and around 4 billion barrels of oil lie under the continental shelf that runs south from Syria and Lebanon before curving westward to Egypt.

So it's no surprise that in such a volatile region the competition over such potentially vast energy reserves just keeps growing, fueled by political quarrels that have beset the region for decades, if not centuries.

Israel, still at war with its Arab neighbors, has been at odds with Turkey, its onetime strategic ally which now solidly supports the Palestinians.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/08/26/Cyprus-Israel-move-closer-on-East-Med-gas/UPI-62821314382019/#ixzz1WB2jXnQa