Executive Summary

So concludes this executive summary, the first of a seven-volume study of the Syrian transport sector. The report recommends actions to the Government of Syria (GOS) in each of the key sectors discussed in this series. In regard to transportation management, the GOS should reorganize the Ministry of Transport to clarify its responsibilities and those of its subordinate agencies and should solicit external advisory services to improve operations and develop training programs. Road transport recommendations include recentralizing resposibility for road planning, construction, and maintenance in the Ministry of Communications; reducing the rate of road construction; developing new road design standards and pavement design testing methods; and initiating a plan of pavement widening and resurfacing during the present 5-year plan. Among the rail transport recommendations are developing a major 2-year technical assistance program with a consulting subsidiary of a railway operating on European UIC standards and reorganizing the rail management board to include representatives of all pertinent ministries and interests involved in transportation. Regarding ports, the GOS should enforce unitized cargoes as much as possible and immediately acquire 45,000 wooden pallets. To improve aviation, the GOS is advised to purchase new, more efficient aircraft to replace aging or obsolete models. Other transport sectors covered in the assessment are pipelines, storage facilities, and transportation personnel training. A final section presents preliminary investment recommendations based a strictly economic comparison of alternative scenarios projecting the transport sector"s requirements from 1980 to 2000.