Berri: Must Focus on Appointments, Forming Petroleum Regulatory Authority
Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday the importance of Lebanon exploiting its petroleum wealth, saying that the oil will bring the country economic comfort.
He added before members of the Editors Syndicate: “The state appointments and formation of the petroleum regulatory authority should be a priority for the government.”
Addressing the developments in the region, he stated: “Lebanon is affected by the changes in the Arab world and not just those in Syria.”
“As long as Lebanon is incapable of affecting these developments, then it should at least keep a distance from them and avoid getting involved in them to avoid any negative repercussions,” the speaker explained.
“The resistance is the secret to our strength and national unity,” continued Berri.
On Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance and efforts to reveal his fate, he remarked: “Libyan officials are ashamed that such a major figure was kidnapped on their land.”
“They believe his disappearance to be a national cause,” he added.
Berri revealed that he had held talks with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on his latest visit to Libya to follow up on Sadr’s case.
Sadr and his two colleagues disappeared in Libya in 1978 after meeting with former ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
At the time, the cleric was trying to negotiate an end to the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), in which Palestinian factions were involved.
Gadhafi was believed to be shipping weapons to the Palestinians and other groups and Sadr, according to reports, was hoping to convince the Libyan leader to refrain from stoking the unrest in Lebanon.
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