A Lebanese company owned by Samer Foz has been one of the main beneficiaries of the Syrian government’s wheat import contracts in past years and at prices well above market rates.

A plan by the government to force again exporters to hand back their foreign currency revenues to the Central Bank is creating tensions between manufacturers and traders.

The U.S. Treasury blacklisted yesterday 16 individuals and companies that are either Syrians or conduct a significant part of their business in Syria, including Samer Foz and several businesses associated to him.

The Syrian Cabinet adopted on June 2 what it calls a national anti-corruption strategy.

In the past few weeks agricultural lands have caught fire simultaneously in various parts of Syria.