Sunday March 25, 2012
| No total ban on supplies from Iran, only 15% reduction says Petroleum Minister |
 Hard on the heels of the US sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, Sri Lanka has gained a concession from the US on restrictions imposed on fuel imports from Iran.United States, which imposed sanctions on Iran, has asked Sri Lanka to scale down crude oil imports from Iran for the current year only by 15 per cent, a senior Minister said yesterday. Petroleum Industries Minister, Susil Premajayantha said such a reduction meant Sri Lanka would not face a total ban immediately. Earlier, a total ban was expected to come into force from June this year fuelling fears that the country may face a serious fuel crisis. “The concession to reduce crude oil imports only by 15 per cent was a result of the appeal made to the US earlier,” Minister Premajayantha said. Sri Lanka imports as much as 93 per cent of its annual crude oil requirements from Iran. Read more.. |
