Egyptian minister Zohr gas field no bar to imports from Israel

Egyptian Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail told Reuters Wednesday that the discovery of the Zohr natural gas field off Egypt will not undermine private-sector negotiations about buying gas from Israel. "Any negotiations between private companies in Egypt and in the eastern Mediterranean, and by this I mean Israel and Cyprus, will not stop. These negotiations and initial agreements are ongoing," the minister said. His statement caused a major upturn in energy stocks after sharp drops Tuesday.