Syria and Iraq have signed an initial agreement to build two crude oil pipelines to the Mediterranean Sea, an Iraqi official said.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the larger pipeline with a 1.5 million barrel daily capacity would carry heaver crudes and the smaller pipeline with a 1.25 million daily capacity would carry lighter crude oil, the Global Arab Network Web site reported Sunday.
The Iraqi spokesman said a third pipeline for gas, already approved by his government, will also be constructed by the two countries in the future.
The Iraqi government has signed a series of agreements with major international oil companies to quadruple its crude oil production capacity in the next seven years, with the aim of raising Iraq's oil production to a 12 million barrel daily capacity, the report said.