Damascus signed an oil and gas deal with a Russian company Wednesday which will allow for the first-ever exploration off Syria's coast. The agreement was signed by Syrian Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas, Syria's General Petroleum Company and the Russian Soyuzneftegaz company, according to an AFP reporter present at the signing. The deal permits the exploration of an area of 2,190 square kilometres (850 square miles) in the Mediterranean. The contract "is the first ever for oil and gas exploration in Syria's waters," General Petroleum Company head Ali Abbas told AFP. "It will be financed by Russia, and should oil and...