Oil prices fall as U.S. calls on UN to back Syria chemical weapons dealSeptember 20, 2013 - 11:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Progress in reaching a deal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons helped put downward pressure on oil prices Friday, Sept 20, according to the Associated Press. Benchmark oil for October delivery was down 31 cents to $106.09 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.68 to close at $106.39 on Thursday. President Barack Obama has threatened to launch military action against Syria for an alleged chemical weapons attack against civilians in suburban Damascus last month. But diplomats from Russia and the U.S. came up with a plan to induce Syria to give up its chemical weapons stockpile. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on the UN Security Council to back the U.S-Russia deal, which has reduced the threat of a U.S. military strike. Fears of instability in the oil-rich Middle East were further allayed after reports signaled a return of more Libyan crude oil to the market. Production and exports have been sharply interrupted in the chaos following the overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. "There's been a bit of a step back in tensions in the Middle East," said Evan Lucas, market strategist at IG in Melbourne, Australia. Brent crude, the benchmark for international crudes used by many U.S. refineries, fell 9 cents to $108.67 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |