Berri Warned of Israel's 'Real Threat' to Lebanon's Oil Wealth
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri received on Thursday a message from the Lebanese Petroleum Association that Lebanon's offshore oil wealth is under threat from Israel, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.
It said: “Lebanon's wealth is under real threat from Israel due to its excessive actions in stealing its oil.”
Lebanese authorities had received information that Israel had started drilling oil and gas wells near Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone by its southern border, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Friday.
Parliamentary sources told the daily that one well lies four kilometers off Lebanon's maritime borders, while the other is nine kilometers away.
This means that drilling can eat away at Lebanon's wealth, warned the sources.
The Ministry of Energy had issued a report warning authorities that if they did not take action in this file, then the country is facing a real danger of losing its wealth.
The sources explained that parliament had issued the necessary laws linked to tackling the petroleum file, but it is now a victim of political dealings between the government and various political forces.
In March 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and a mean of 34.5 trillion cubic meters of recoverable gas in the Levant Basin in the eastern Mediterranean, which includes the territorial waters of Lebanon, Israel, Syria and Cyprus.
In August 2014, 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.
Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a maritime zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.
Lebanese officials have continuously warned that Israel's exploration of new offshore gas fields near Lebanese territorial waters means the Jewish state is siphoning some of Lebanon's crude oil.
The U.S. had offered to mediate between the sides in an attempt to reach a solution.
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.
20 November 2015, 08:15
86
time for those leaders to start governing and stop sharing the cake.
20 November 2015, 15:25
57
what cake? saniora and co gave it to israel. i guess they got enough sugar from their saudi daddies
20 November 2015, 20:09
00
bouf3eli.. that is exactly what I was thinking! he kills the basils project, because he wants a big piece from it and now he warns.. what a clown this berry guy is!
20 November 2015, 08:24
105
the "real" threat to Lebanon's oil wealth is from Berri, Nassil, and Hezbollah.
20 November 2015, 12:06
58
how can this imaginary and unfounded "threat" be more real than israel actually stealing our oil as we speak? how can someone who pretends to be lebanese accept to see israel looting our resources, no matter the circumstances and your personal animosity toward certain political sides?
you and i and every lebanese know whether they admit it or not that the biggest lootings of lebanese wealth and finances was done by those you support, and they are the most likely to embezzle any income that would be generated by the exploitation of oil.
and yet, even if hariri and his mafia would take 50% of any oil income, there would still be the other 50% going into lebanese treasury and i would prefer it to israel stealing 100% of it and using that to finance their next wars against us.
20 November 2015, 15:18
85
You have no idea what is good for Lebanon, and you don't care either. You're a iranian loving muppet and only their interests count for you. You're not Lebanese, and even less honorable, so don't pretend to speak for what you're not.
20 November 2015, 15:25
57
always a pleasure to read you eagleyawn! every time you copy my comment and post it back, it reminds me one of the times i schooled you :)
20 November 2015, 08:43
107
Where are the mou2awameh protecting our our sea, our oil, our future... Hezbollah ought to have a navy by now...
20 November 2015, 12:10
78
nickjames, simple question: assuming they have the ability, would you prefer that hezbollah takes action or not? because i'm a bit confused here, everytime they act you whine that they shouldn't have, and everytime they dont you whine that they should...
20 November 2015, 14:38
96
Nick...is ironic...pity you do not understand to which degree we are fed up...
20 November 2015, 14:50
97
no, that's not the attitude of someone who is "fed up, it is the attitude of someone seeing confrontation through constant provocation, even on unrelated articles like this one.
you guys might be frustrated i'll give you that, but it's only because your hatred systematically goes unsatisfied. You're on the losers' side and your state of failure is eating you up from the inside.
20 November 2015, 12:07
92
It is Israel's right to dig wherever they want in their sovereign national waters and not for anyone to comment on this.
What probably happens is that the association has been bribed in saying these things to cover up inefficiency and corruption in Lebanese oil firms who may be registering losses; so, instead of dealing with these problems internally as they should, they choose to blame the Jews / Israel.
An old trick that doesn't work any more.
20 November 2015, 14:38
78
1- No you can't just drill and pump as much as you want from an oil field that runs under another country. there are international laws that determine the amount that each side can pump based on the proportion of the field that is in their territory
2- plus israel is encroaching on hundreds of square kilometers on our exclusive economic zone so they're not just drilling in their own "sovereign waters".
it's not. when oil was discovered in the area they suddenly decided to "re-draw" the maritime border line (that had been set decades ago and never challenged by either side) and moved it up.
20 November 2015, 15:19
87
Wow, impressive comment terrorist! I never though one could put so much stupidity in so few words! You outdid yourself today, here's a shekel for your efforts.
20 November 2015, 18:16
33
Terrorist, I agree it might be time! 1943 demographic distribution, pre Palestinian refugee invasion and civil war! Houthis were not a power then, nor are they are now relevant anywhere in the Mideast outside Yemen. Why do u think they are relevant in Lebanon?
If we Lebanese can't work together for the Lebanon then partition might be our last resort!
20 November 2015, 13:14
49
Berri is such a joker!! He is the biggest threat to this country. A true master-minded corrupt thief..
20 November 2015, 18:00
33
The real threat is the muslim brotherhood of extremists!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3322708/Turkey-supporters-boo-minute-s-silence-victims-Paris-attacks-prior-team-s-friendly-against-Greece-Istanbul.html
This shows that we are fighting modern civilisation against medieval islamists! The world has changed! The bombings in Ankara against was not an attack on the ruling turkish government of Erdagon, but against peace loving turks opposed to the sultan of ankara!
Booing and chanting Allah wa Akbar, during 1min silence in respect for the paris attack victims is simply disgraceful! This is why Turkey will never be part of the EU! Is this the wake up call?
20 November 2015, 20:07
33
they cannnot even agree on waste ... how can this mafia ever handle this file...
21 November 2015, 07:58
01
As long as the Lebanese leaders continue to argue amongst themselves and refuse to negociate with Israel over the oil and gas fields this situation will continue.
"Israel had started drilling oil and gas wells N E A R Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone by its southern border, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Friday.
Parliamentary sources told the daily that one well lies four kilometers off Lebanon's maritime borders, while the other is nine kilometers away."
This report states clearly that Israel is not violating Lebanese sovereignty.
23 November 2015, 03:00
00
Hey _moowaten_ who do I contact to get paid for posting on Naharnet... What is the rates, do you get paid per post, per article etc... can you put me in contact with your employer. I'm genuine here, I could use the extra money!
