Berri Threatens to Debrief Cabinet if Oil Exploration Project Delayed

Speaker Nabih Berri threatened on Friday to debrief the cabinet if it didn’t carry out its tasks regarding Lebanon’s offshore oil wealth project, As Safir newspaper reported.

“The cabinet should assign the committee tasked with administrating the oil sector and set the tenders to kick off the offshore natural resources exploration,” Berri stressed.

He warned the cabinet that it has until the end of March to wrap up the issue.

“I will call on a session to inquire the government if it failed to meet its promises,” the speaker told the daily.

In January, the cabinet approved the oil and gas decrees after lengthy discussion over who should administer the tender and oil and gas exploration in its offshore territorial borders.

On February 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in Nicosia with Cypriot leaders on energy cooperation and economic ties.

Israel, Cyprus, and Lebanon have discovered huge offshore natural gas deposits beneath the Mediterranean Sea.

However, the Israeli map conflicts with Lebanon's proposed maritime border. Beirut argues its map is in line with an armistice accord drawn up in 1949, an agreement which is not contested by Israel.

The disputed zone consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.

Lebanon has been slow to exploit its maritime resources compared with other eastern Mediterranean countries. Israel, Cyprus and Turkey are all much more advanced in drilling for oil and gas.