Syria announced on Thursday it had suspended the flow of electricity it supplies to Lebanon, citing technical problems with its own power grid.

Electricite du Liban( EDL) said in a statement that the interruption was partly responsible for increased electricity rationing over the past two days, but expects power supply to return to normal levels as of Friday.

War damage to the Jiyyeh power plant and irregular maintenance of EDL equipment, combined with the disruption of Syrian supplies, forced EDL to reduce electricity power in the areas of Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the Northern Bekaa.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry refused to comment on whether Syria made the announcement to exert pressure on the Lebanese Government, but the Lebanese are used to this by now.

The power plants of the electric utility company in Lebanon, were modified to accommodate Syrian natural gas that was supposed to start flowing in April 2005. The pipeline was completed in March 2005 but the Syrians decided to cancel the deal with Lebanon after they were forced out at the end of April that year. There is no sign the Syrian gas will ever make it to Lebanon.

Syria disputing UN force presence at its borders with Lebanon

The Syrian president has opposed the presence of UN forces at the borders between Lebanon and Syria and declared that this could lead to war between the 2 countries.

The Lebanese are questioning Syria's motives because Syria already has on its soil UN force to enforce the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights area which was occupied by Israel in 1967. The question many are asking is why would Syria allow UN force in Syria but not in Lebanon?

The Lebanese feel that the Syrian regime is being revengeful in response to the attacks by the March 14 leaders of the Cedar Revolution against Assad's speech at the end of the war in which he tried to drive a wedge between the Lebanese.

One local observer told Ya Libnan "Syria's regime has always tried to twist Lebanon's arms to blackmail us. He went on to say "The borders with Syria are the biggest source of trouble for Lebanon...they are used for smuggling weapons and drugs and armed militias to create trouble for Lebanon. It is the single most dangerous source of destabilization for Lebanon"

Syria has always been an unreliable partner for Lebanon. The Gas pipeline is a clear example... Syria should have shown the Lebanese and the international community that they honor what they have negotiated with the Lebanese.

Syria's behavior does not encourage the Lebanese community to trust Syria's leadership. These little games show again and again, that the Syrian regime will go to any measures to hurt Lebanon.

Syria needs Lebanon as much as Lebanon needs Syria, so it is in Syria's interest to treat Lebanon on a more friendly and equality basis. Syria should learn to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.

The Lebanese suffered a lot during the past month as a result of the terrorizing war by Israel that destroyed the country ... the last thing the Lebanese want now is more blackouts.

Picture: A Lebanese electricity company worker tries to repair the damage at a power supply line, destroyed by Israeli forces airstrikes during the war that lasted 34 days.

By: Ali Hussein - Ya Libnan Volunteer