Naharnet

Berri: Oil and Litani Projects to Be Source of Pride for Miqati’s Cabinet

Speaker Nabih Berri said Tuesday that an approval of the decrees on the implementation of the oil exploration law will be the culmination of the government’s achievements.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said that the approval expected to be made by the cabinet on Wednesday will be “a vital achievement and the energy ministry will implement its mission … to open the door for (the operations of oil exploration) companies.”

He also said that the Litani river’s irrigation and hydroelectric project will be implemented soon.

Those two projects will be a source of pride for Premier Najib Miqati’s government after consecutive cabinets since 1943 failed to implement them, he said.

“They will make a development and economic renaissance,” Berri told An Nahar.

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil also told As Safir daily that oil exploration should be prioritized. “I don’t see any justification for the delay” in approving the decrees, he said.

He expected the government to immediately approve them during Wednesday’s session, but stressed that this would be “just the beginning.”

He said the government should next issue licenses to oil exploration companies early this year.


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