Berri: Lebanon Has Right to Acquire Oil through Resistance if Diplomacy Fails
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that it is Lebanon’s “sovereign right” to explore its oil wealth.
He stated before reporters: “Lebanon has the right to acquire its oil wealth through the resistance should diplomacy fail.”
He noted however that “we have never resorted to the resistance until after all other options have been exhausted.”
“I am personally overseeing diplomatic efforts, as is the Lebanese state, and I hope that they will result in the demarcation of the maritime border,” he continued.
“The oil file should be the Lebanese people’s primary concern,” stressed the speaker.
In addition, Berri said that the demarcation of the maritime border should be just as important as the demarcation of the land border.
“There are promising amounts of offshore oil and some petroleum has even been discovered on land, but not in such large quantities,” he revealed.
Israel, Cyprus, and Lebanon have discovered huge offshore natural gas deposits beneath the Mediterranean Sea separating them.
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.
A prolonged debate emerged between Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey, and Israel over the demarcation of maritime border for its Exclusive Economic Zone.
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.
Addressing the government’s decision to distance itself from the developments in Syria, Berri remarked: “The pro- and anti-government forces are benefitting from this policy.”
On the ongoing debate over the parliamentary electoral law, he said: “The Development and Liberation and Loyalty to the Resistance blocs will support whatever agreement the Lebanese reach.”
“We support whichever law that helps reduce sectarianism,” explained the speaker.
“Everyone claims to support proportional representation, but in fact they back the 1960 law,” he noted.
“We support the adoption of one electoral district and proportional representation,” he revealed.
“We are open however to any serious discussion that could benefit the Lebanese people and the government must assume its responsibilities in this matter as soon as possible,” stressed Berri.
Some sides of the March 8 camp have voiced their support for proportional representation in the electoral law, but PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat has reportedly opposed it, with Minister Ghazi Aridi saying that those keen on this representation are seeking to limit the MP’s political weight.
11 April 2012, 17:06
13
Now Berri is going to start a war and thinks that will get him oil in his pockets??
11 April 2012, 17:23
11
You forget who the government was back in 2010. FYI, the current government is now in talks with companies like Noble Energy. It's been a hard year but they're working on it. But no Gebral Bassil doing actual work? Who does he think he is, the energy minister or something?
11 April 2012, 18:11
15
Why don't you use the LEBANESE ARMY instead of the god damn plague of a resistance !
This isn't the so called resistance's role to defend our country and our ressources ... this is the role of the army !
The moment the Lebanese government asks the "Resistance" a favor, they are going to have to pay for that favor.
11 April 2012, 20:29
10
Yeah the poor lebanese army ,that´s why we have hezbollah our great resistance :P , why can´t hezbollah be integrated in the lebanese army :P tell me any disadvantage !!! I think this would be the best compromise ;D
11 April 2012, 20:34
12
FT. Really sometimes I respect your comments as they are intelligent but skip these kind of comments.
I mean do a simple calculation. If Hezb ( the recistance) are capable of confronting the israeli enemy ( as you say ma heik?) so, how strong would we be if we were ONE united country? with ONE united army? with the capacity of the armed fraction of Hezb. Merged with the army, with their experience and their weapons?
A statement like yours shows lots of arrogance.
Besides, the presence of Hezb, is weakining the army, as we are not allowed to import any important weapons.
Would the weapons of Hezb. be Under the official control of the state, we would be allowed to buy weapons again, and any attack on us would be considered against international law.
11 April 2012, 21:28
11
ulipianus the guerilla war can simply not be adapted to the classic armies, in bent jbeil 7 Hezbollawi resisted for 10 days killing more than 20 Tsahal soldiers in the process. if those 7 were 70 regular soldiers they wouldn't have lasted a day... this is just to illustrate the dilemma however you are TOTALLY right they should be integrated in the LA eventually
12 April 2012, 01:02
00
Keserwene. I agree with you that specially with our "inferior" equipped army, a "traditional" army would easily be massacred.
But, this way of thinking, is the thinking of a man using the "schoolbooks theories".
With the Lebanese landscape, it is perfectly suited for "guerilla Warfare tactics". Using our army, does not in any way hinder the use of "guerilla tactics". The lebanese army does not have to put all their soliders in one place and take a photo of them putting it on Facebook for israel to attack:-)
About the Bint Jbeil incident, no doubt they were courageous men. But lets take it further and find one united cause for all Lebanese ( one army), so next time the israelis attack it will not only be hussein w ali defending bint jbeil, but omar and toni will join.
12 April 2012, 02:50
11
Ulpianus, what ur saying ideally makes a lot of sense. But in reality is 100% wrong. We, as Lebanese, do not agree on who our enemies are. And sinse the army is made up of Lebanese citizens, it must also suffer from the same divisions. Who will b in charge of this new army? Who will decide when it is used, n against who? The gov can't seem to agree on anything.
11 April 2012, 18:35
13
ya esteez... more oil..more money to steal..we,have to close hermetically the treasury b4 putting money in the basket.all the countries on this planet have electricity b4 having oil.
11 April 2012, 19:32
00
lol funny one berri, its been nearly two years you want to drill the oil. Nothing has been done and you blame Israel while they didnt say anything. You ve been begging in cyprus instead of opening direct negotiations with Israel and show the zionists we are not afraid of them and we want whats ours. But yet again, all you guys do is talk, and blame and steal.
11 April 2012, 19:39
00
Hey Berri....I have an idea. Get the Shia to pay for all of their current, future, and especially past electricity plus the interest on the debt. Then when you are out of office the country can get the oil and improve the country, but no improvement for the Shia until the pay instead of living like beggars on the backs of everyone elses work.
11 April 2012, 20:35
00
By the way, I saw a program a couple of days ago stating that the gas was known about from 1975.
11 April 2012, 20:38
05
Lebanon turned into a joke when a statesman threatens to use the "resistance"...
It´s like the Swedish government threatening Denmark that they would use bandidos against them if they did not hand over the revenues from the bridge between the two countries.
11 April 2012, 22:05
01
in all democratic and civilised countries they resort to the international tribunal when there s a dispute over maritime borders. our M8 gangs still praise armed resistance over legality...
how pityful they are and their followers....
11 April 2012, 22:08
01
dream on FT ! no solution will be found because their mafias will be endangered if this country steps into the 21st century....
decades and NO politicians has ever had the will to solve this pb be it M14 or M8!
it is proven by the fact that lebanon is such a tiny country that a solution can be found easily if there s a will, but we ve been waiting 30 years for that when a civilised country can solve this pb in a matter of years!
11 April 2012, 23:16
01
What is this continuous itch for a beating? There is oil in the undisputed areas , start exploring it.
Berry and other thieves that have been at the helm for so long do not know how to do anything productive. they just explore empty slogans in order to continue robbing the lebanese blind.
12 April 2012, 03:28
00
LOL - yeah, they knew about the oil from Camille Chamoun days in the 50's/60's!
They didnt do anything about it untill Bachir Gemayel wanted to mobilise the resources in 82, then they killed him because God forbid Lebanon in control by christians and pumping oil would have been the end of Israel and the End of the christians living in a minority situation.
12 April 2012, 04:23
01
Sounds to me the gangster is trying to find an excuse to put his gangster army in control of the oil to keep the resistance alive in case Irani oil money dries up.
12 April 2012, 06:29
00
Is this going to be the new mantra for keeping the glorious resistance armed, a bunch of cavemen.
Why don't you start making use of the undisputed resources instead of talking all this crap... The only ones that have the right to defend Lebenon and it's resources are the military.
12 April 2012, 09:45
01
How old is this dude? when will he die? I hope he does not have a son
12 April 2012, 10:11
01
Ya Mr. Speaker, I am sure you know that becoming a petroleum producing nation is a completely different game than producing Hashish!!!
You can't enter this new game with guns and terror (what you call resistance). You have to establish a sustained political stability in the country so you can attract the major oil companies with the latest technology we need to produce our oil and gas. This is the only time that Iran can't help you. Just take a look at their own facilities that are falling apart and have become a disater waiting to happen. These guys can't even find replacement parts for their plants and they use "duct tape" to hold things together. Let alone their lack of knowledge about the latest advancement in hydrocarbon extraction from difficult reservoirs.
So please tone things down a bit, and let's go to work on areas that are NOT disputed and pursue diplomatic channels to reslove the disputed areas.
Easy does it big man!!!
12 April 2012, 12:37
00
At least this government will try and do everything for the state and not privatize everything like Hariri, just so he can make a few million in pocket money here and there.
12 April 2012, 12:37
00
At least this government will try and do everything for the state and not privatize everything like Hariri, just so he can make a few million in pocket money here and there.
13 April 2012, 01:10
00
Rest assured my fellow Lebanese, whether it is this government's diplomacy or the "resistance's" so-called might, we won't be seeing the oil.
