Miqati, Bassil Stress Need to Push forward Petroleum File
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati held talks on Monday with Energy Minister Jebran Bassil who warned last week that Israel's discovery of a new offshore gas field near Lebanese territorial waters means the Jewish state could siphon some of Lebanon's crude oil.
“Oil and gas exploration are a priority because we are keen on preserving our natural resources,” Miqati said in remarks published in As Safir newspaper.
Future oil exploration would largely contribute to paying off Lebanon's public debts, he said.
“The cabinet has previously taken a series of important decisions in that regard, but more steps are required,” the caretaker PM said.
Miqati's talks with Bassil focused on the necessary measures to move the process forward and holding an extraordinary cabinet session to ratify decrees paving way for the country to start oil and gas explorations.
Bassil said after the talks that the cabinet session would be aimed at issuing a decision on launching a round of tenders “in order for Lebanon to fulfill its international commitments seeing as several major oil companies have made additional investments in the country.”
“The decision should be approved in order for us to maintain and protect our petroleum wealth,” he added.
He said that he will continue his efforts to this end with all concerned officials “because this issue concerns all Lebanese.”
The ball is now in President Michel Suleiman and Miqati's court, Bassil said.
“Our international reputation will be jeopardized if Lebanon does not respect its commitments,” he stressed.
“We must demonstrate that we have a state that protects our petroleum resources,” he continued.
Bassil revealed that he will hold talks with Berri on Tuesday on the petroleum file.
He had said on Friday that Israel could "in principle" drill either vertically or horizontally in its new field, potentially reaching Lebanon's deposits if the two nations' fields are joined at the sea bottom.
Israel's new field is about 4 kilometers from Lebanon's territorial waters.
Miqati vowed that his government would closely follow up the issue, including keeping its contacts with the United Nations to prevent Israel from infringing on Lebanon's oil resources.
Recent Israeli discoveries of oil and gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea have raised tensions between Lebanon and Israel that are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.
Beirut argues that a maritime map it submitted to the U.N. is in line with an armistice accord drawn up in 1949, an agreement which is not contested by Israel.
08 July 2013, 08:43
25
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil ... the one who failed the parliamentary is congratulated by 'Eins.aoun' to the ministry (ENERGY).
keep designing people like bassil and Israel will take all the oil!
they design people with high degrees in the matter to follow the oil and we appoint a stupid boy failed in everything to face him!
Do u ask yourself why we keep loosing through history with our neighbours?
we put idiots to rule us and family ties, and they bring the most experimented in the field!
08 July 2013, 09:15
31
False Alarm
Election propaganda
Release the resistance back home
08 July 2013, 12:25
23
Years ago Israel offered to sit down with Lebanon to discuss the development of the gas fields, and the correct division of the disputed area. Lebanon as usual refused (it was then still under Syrian influence), and hasn't changed its stance since then.
Wake up Lebanon, instead of Minister Bassil complaining all the time, let him even just once say "I'm going to sit down with the Israeli Energy Minister to solve all these problems."
08 July 2013, 14:45
11
Sure thing Philipo, we'll just have a seat next to the Palestinians. And we've ALL seen how that's helped the Palestinians guard they're property rights.
How about this... Israel just stops stealing.
Give us back shib3a, even if it is still missing papers from Syria blah blah, just pull out of that tiny tiny bit of land already.
Israel is like a crazy ex... No I don't wana f#%^{>g talk to u! Just leave me the f^%k alone!
08 July 2013, 10:21
12
Israel first discovered oil in that general area years ago. All Lebanon had to do was hire a "greedy" oil exploration company and they would have discovered the richness of her resources. It's not that hard.
What has Lebanon been doing these last few years other than talk about the oil out there? Nothing. All they talk about is the resistance, and how Israel, a country of 6 million, has stolen the identity and threatens the existence of the Muslim world, a religion with more than a billion followers.
When will you sheep learn?
08 July 2013, 10:31
12
There you go. Blame the Jews. A country of 6 million once again threatening the existence of the Muslim worlds 1 billion + followers.
Israel discovered oil years ago...drilled exploratory wells, commercialized them, and now reaping the benefits. What has Lebanon done in this time? The answer is nothing. They have focused on pandering to hezbollah and iran while ignoring the majority of the people that simply want a government to help them lead a safe and prosperous life.
It's amazing how a people and a religion fails to look at themselves and figure out what it is that THEY are doing wrong. That would require thought and introspection. That's hard. It's much easier to blame the Jews...and all the while nothing happens. Laughable.
08 July 2013, 11:16
14
One is an idiot and the other is trying to validate his incompetency...
No matter what these corrupt bureaucrats do Israel can and will steal our oil, and they can even do that from offshore Tel Aviv without even getting close to the Lebanese water. This is called drilling lateral wells that in some cases will extend by several miles horizontally away from where the well was initially drilled...It has been done all over the world.
How can we trust a bunch of idiots to run our country or even manage our natural resources???
08 July 2013, 14:52
12
Ya zalami, we waited for ever for those "electricity ships", when they finally got here, we gave em dirty fuel!
All we care about here is shatara. Some idiot lebanese guy thought he was being slick, buying cheap fuel and pocketing the difference. When they calculate how much the reserves are worth they should release two figures, one for before and one for after the politicians cuts.
08 July 2013, 21:42
02
Phoenix. Look at the Norwegian. The have something called the National Oil Fund. All proceeds from the oil that is sold ends up in this fund. The capital is never used. It is invested in low-risk assest and securities. The Norwegians live off the returns of the fund, and only if their parliament votes for using the returns. Sometimes they vote against it for fear of flooding their market with too much currency, thus triggering inflation. In this case the return is added to the capital. I read a report that Norway will never run out of money, ever! The key is good governance, transparency and competent, honest management. We have so many highly educated and competent people in Lebanon. Some of them are stars in their fields, all over the world. But at home, we put our future, and the future of our children in the hands of people who have nothing but a family name to offer. It is tragic beyond belief.
09 July 2013, 02:21
00
phoenix, the oil company drilling offshore israel is american (Noble Energy) and they do have access to this technology...the same happened with the gulf countries...they bought this technology and they started drilling along their maritime boundary with iran...
No worries, hassouni and bassil will protect our oil...
08 July 2013, 13:24
25
Allow me to repeat what I posted a few days earlier: if we have a problem with the Israelis about those oil fields, may I suggest we sit down with them and resolve it? I am sure that talking will produce more results than the empty bombast that Mr Basil blurted out the other day about fighting the Israelis with the LAF and HA.
I know, I know, Nasrallah won't let him talk to Israel.... HA prefers war to dialoge.
08 July 2013, 14:53
13
Mr. Bassil doesn't know the reason why there is a permanent shortage of electricity in Lebanon, he doesn't know why Lebanon is not progressing in the drilling for gas, like Cyprus and Israel. So what does he know ?
When in my earlier comment I said that he should make an effort to sit down with the Israeli Energy Minister, he should also remember that the Republic of Cyprus is also not recognised by the Republic of turkey, but when important economic matters are concerned, they know how to sit down and talk.
Let Mr. Bassil try, if he can, to work out just how much annual income the lack of development of the gas fields is failing to bring into the Lebanese economy, then stand up in Parliament and explain why he refuses to discuss the matter with the Israelis.
08 July 2013, 15:03
01
Lool how does this involve discussion with Israel?? What for? There are international laws. Our oil is on our side, end of discussion.
Saudi offered them FULL RELATIONS WITH ALL ARAB STATES... Did they sit down and discuss it?
The only discussion we need, is between each other, here inside Lebanon. We more to worry about, for now the best thing for that oil is to stay under ground.
08 July 2013, 14:55
01
I know what ur saying, and ideally it's right.
But Israel doesn't want that. U think they're stealing by mistake? Or are making plans to steal, let's say, my mistake?
So lets say we sit with them. Then what? Lets ask Abu Mazen.
08 July 2013, 21:30
01
FT: I am a firm believer that we can put all these issues on the table and work them out without a single shot being fired. The whole Sinai, and a good chunk of Jordan were returned to their respective countries through long and patient negotiations. It took a lot of give-and-take, but most critically it took negotiations in good faith from both parties. It is time to turn the page. The peace dividend is too immense for us or the Israelis to ignore. Just a humble opinion.
08 July 2013, 15:12
11
Very clever these Jews, if stealing, lying, and just being all around evil is clever.
01 January 2014, 14:05
00
Beirutbastard you are exactly what you call yourself: A Bastard from Beirut. Your birth lacks legal legitimacy. YOU ARE A SMALL-MINDED PERSON WITH A VERY LAW INCOMPETENCE! WHO ENJOY SPREADING WAR AROUND.
