Berri Urges Miqati to Call for Extraordinary Session to Tackle Petroleum File
Speaker Nabih Berri expressed concern over the “ongoing tampering with Lebanon's oil wealth,” wondering about the reasons that are preventing caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati from calling for an “extraordinary” cabinet session to tackle two decrees essential to award the oil blocs for the oil companies.
“Miqati's hesitating stance is questionable,” Berri said in comments published in As Safir newspaper on Wednesday.
The speaker lashed out at his foes, saying: “they are delusional if they think they can manipulate me.”
He urged Miqati to call for the cabinet to convene and allow each side to declare its stance over the matter.
“We should kick off a debate during the session to discuss the oil blocks and tenders... Either they succeed in convincing us or we convince them,” Berri told As Safir.
He pointed out that there's an agreement that the cabinet should hold a session to discuss the petroleum file even if the formation of the new cabinet was delayed, noting that holding a session to tackle the two decrees doesn't violate the constitution.
The decrees call for demarcating 10 maritime oil exploration blocks and setting up a revenue-sharing model.
Miqati argues that holding a session for the cabinet requires a unanimous political agreement, pointing out that a caretaker cabinet can't approve non-essential decrees.
Acute discord among Lebanese officials is delaying the awarding of 10 of the oil blocks.
Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil postponed again on Friday the oil and gas tenders from December 10, 2013 to January 10, 2014 after the cabinet failed once again to convene to approve the two decrees.
The country's oil and gas wealth attracted around 46 Arab and international companies in the second pre-qualification round of the tenders process.
Berri told As Safir that approving the two decrees preserves Lebanon's oil wealth from any Israeli exploitation.
He pointed out that assigning the 10 oil blocks fortifies transparency and blocks any suspicious deals.
Bassil is calling for assigning only two for the meantime.
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.
Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/101432 |