Suleiman Puts Lebanese-Israeli Oil Dispute at Top of his New York Agenda
President Michel Suleiman has put Israel’s infringement on 870 kilometers of Lebanese waters at the top of the agenda of his talks with world leaders in New York, including U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, Lebanese diplomatic sources said.
Suleiman is in New York to participate in the annual General Assembly meeting. He is scheduled to attend a Security Council session on Libya on Tuesday and address the Assembly the next day.
On Thursday, Suleiman will chair a Security Council session on preventive diplomacy that Lebanon has called for as the Council’s president for this month.
The president will discuss with World and Arab leaders the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and daily Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, the sources told several Beirut dailies.
But the Jewish state’s infringement on 870 kilometers of Lebanese waters in its Exclusive Economic Zone will be at the top of his agenda. The area includes a large reserve of oil and gas but Lebanon is claiming it and accuses Israel of aggression after its cabinet approved the map of maritime borders that includes the area.
In retaliation, Premier Najib Miqati’s government agreed on Monday on the line of demarcation for Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which is a sea zone that gives a state the right to explore its maritime resources.
Upon his arrival to New York, Suleiman met with members of his delegation to put the final touches on his participation in the General Assembly meeting and the Security Council sessions that Lebanon will chair till the end of September.
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