Poland's richest man pulls out of Syria

“The main reason for the decision is the problem of ensuring the safety of our employees,” said Jakub Korczak, vice chairman of Kulczyk Oil Ventures (KOV), in an interview with business daily Parkiet.

“The country is virtually in a state of civil war,” he affirmed.

However, he acknowledged that that was not the only factor involved.

“It's worth pointing out that there are sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, which prevent us from securing financing for our search operations.”

By June this year, KOV had invested some 19.4 million zloty (4.5 million euros) in Syria. Most of that money has been spent on surveys, but drilling for oil began in July.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, some 2900 people have perished since President Barshar al-Assad's authoritarian government launched a crackdown this March.

Demonstrations against the regime echoed popular protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

The UN death toll includes Syrian Security Forces, although the vast majority of the victims were those connected with the protest movement.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed outage earlier this month when Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called on the Syrian government to desist from violence.

“Those nations are standing on the wrong side of history,” she declared.“And the Syrian people are not likely to forget that, nor should they,” she said. (nh/pg)