Berri Says Cabinet to Discuss Oil Exploration Decrees Soon
Speaker Nabih Berri has said that the cabinet is expected to discuss soon oil exploration decrees that have been left in the government's drawers over political differences.
In remarks published in local newspapers on Monday, Berri reiterated that the exploration file “has been put on the right track.”
The cabinet will soon discuss the decrees, he said, adding that he will call for a parliamentary session as soon as they are referred to the general assembly for approval.
Berri is spearheading a campaign to revive the oil exploration file in Lebanon after accusing Israel of “stealing” Lebanon's offshore gas.
He has also been calling for the demarcation of the southern territorial waters.
Lebanon and Israel are at loggerheads over the 850 kilometers of territorial water that each claims as part of its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Last August, the government postponed for the fifth time the first round of licensing for gas exploration over a political dispute.
The disagreements were over the designation of blocks open for bidding and the terms of a draft exploration agreement.
In his remarks to the newspapers on Monday, Berri revealed that a parliamentary session will be held in early January as soon as the legislative committees complete discussions on several draft-laws.
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