* [The Introductory Note was prepared for International Legal Materials by Gordon H. Barrows, President of the Barrows Company, Inc., New York. The official English text of the contract is reproduced with permission from Basic Oil Laws Concession Contracts, a world source for petroleum legislation and contracts, published by the Barrows Company. The official Arabic text of the contract was published in the Official Gazette of the Syrian Arab Republic on August 21, 1985, thus approving and ratifying the agreement in accordance with Article XXX of the contract.]

The U.S. affiliate (Pecten) resigned as operator of the multinational group operations in April 1987, in response to the President's request of November 14, 1986 (Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Volume 22, Number 46, November 17, 1986, p. 1563) for voluntary suspension of oil operations. The President's request was made in conjunction with other measures taken against Syria for actions supporting international terrorism. The U.S. Ambassador to Syria had also been withdrawn in the fall of 1986.

On September 2, 1987, the U.S. Ambassador returned to his post, and on September 11, 1987, U.S. oil companies were notified that it was no longer "inappropriate" for them to be involved with oil operations in Syria. Both of these actions followed the closing of Abu Nidal offices and expulsion of members of his group from Syria.