Report: Berri Urges Hollande's Help to Demarcate Maritime Border to Avoid War with Israel

Speaker Nabih Berri requested during his meeting with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday France's assistance in demarcating Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean that borders with Israel, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

A parliamentary source revealed that “this is a problem that Israel is creating and it may spark a war.”

Berri added to Hollande: “Israel's violations against Lebanon are not limited to the air and land, but include the the sea.”

“Israel is claiming part of the EEZ as its own when in fact we have evidence of the contrary,” said the speaker.

“This dispute is hindering our efforts to invest in our oil and gas wealth,” he lamented.

Lebanon and Israel are at loggerheads over the 850 kilometers of territorial water that each claims as part of its EEZ.

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.

In January, the leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel pledged to work together to seize opportunities emerging from newly found offshore gas reserves in order to bolster stability and security in a region wracked by conflict.

Hollande kicked off on Saturday a two-day visit to Lebanon where he held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, and a number of other officials.