Berri and Bassil Hail Approval of Oil Decree, Urge Swift Implementation of Law
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil expressed relief on Thursday after the cabinet approved the oil exploration decrees, according to As Safir newspaper.
“Congratulations to Lebanon… We’ve reached the stage of implementing the work, and we should exert efforts to compensate for lost time,” Berri told the daily.
For his part, Bassil stressed that the approval of the law is an important step in the quest of oil exploration in Lebanese waters after the parliament approved last year a draft law to allow oil and gas exploration.
“The challenge now is in appointing the committee tasked with administrating the oil sector in a month at best, where the tenders would kick off in a maximum period of 3 months,” he told the newspaper.
Bassil noted that the appointment of the committee members will depend on the principle of “efficiency,” which would be binding.
Asked about the amount of oil and gas expected to be recovered from Lebanese waters, he said: “We will talk about the issue at the right time. The Lebanese will hear good surprises soon.”
Head of the parliamentary public works and energy committee MP Mohammed Qabbani told As Safir that approving the law is a “positive and efficient step” that should be followed by appointing the oil committee members.
However, he noted that the exploration of Lebanese waters will be costly.
Qabbani said that going ahead with the exploration will reinforce the international trust in the country and boost investments.
05 January 2012, 10:44
23
I don't trust the current government managing the Lebanese people's wealth
05 January 2012, 11:26
22
I just hope these politcians have enough common sense (I very much doubt it) to appoint technical experts to this committee and not bunch of political cronies.
Offshore exploration in the Lebanese water is expensive but it will cost Lebanon $ZERO. All the required capital will be provided by the successful bidder from the IOC's, and then upon an economic discovery, the fields will be developed and the profit will be split between the IOC and the Lebanese government based on a formula as stipulated in the contract with the IOC.
This could be real big for Lebanon, I just hope our lovely politicians don't blow it away as they typically do with everything else.
05 January 2012, 11:43
02
mabrouk for the lebanese, 1 year of exploitation will cover our debts
amazing
05 January 2012, 12:53
32
the filthy zionist information war department never had nothing remotely worth saying
05 January 2012, 13:00
02
@Roger,
You seem very knowledgeable about the technicalities involved, are you in the Oil & Gas sector? If yes then we probably know each other considering that only a handful of lebanese work in the field. Are you in KSA/Qatar/UAE?
05 January 2012, 13:24
02
Mowaten, i don't trust a government directed by a party who is involved in one of the biggest scandal of money laundering in the world, with networks in africa, europe and latin america... those people are thriving for money before anything else... The government is all mafia unless it is a technocrat government without any link to any party, country or internationa network
05 January 2012, 14:18
21
Mowaten, so you are telling me that the Lebanese Canadian Bank has been bailed out by Soc Gen in 10 days time because some psycho orthodox jewish spread a wrong rumor and wrote an article about the mafia network?
You are just another brainwashed\low IQ lebanese guy (or girl) who explain the unexplainable by Amercan/jewish Conspiracies and don't use his brain to see things as they are
05 January 2012, 14:57
32
the filthy zionist information war department is portaying the financing of our glorious resistance as money laundring.
05 January 2012, 14:57
32
it's money laundring when usa sends you zillions of dollars each year
05 January 2012, 15:31
11
i wonder how much berri and bassil/aoun will make out of these oil deals. berri has already been personally invested in oil/gasoline projects as everyone knows.
05 January 2012, 15:44
01
Money laundring suspicions are based on facts that we could see in credible media channels (unless you think that Manar and Al Akhbar are more credible). let the Hezb prove otherwise or else he's just a mafia hiding behind resistance claims at the Lebanese people's cost
05 January 2012, 16:34
11
@ mowaten, can you please inform us where does Hezb get his money from?
05 January 2012, 16:47
10
money laundering is like dirty laundry but the money of our glorious resistance is clean like white snow on top of faraaya because it comes from patriotic people. your accusations will always fail because nobody care about them because they are stupidities
05 January 2012, 16:53
01
George, I am currently in the UAE. Maybe we can meet one day.
05 January 2012, 18:49
01
@mowaten: are you a member/official of hezbollah? how can you speak with such certainty?
05 January 2012, 18:53
00
Mowaten, the story is not over yet... wait and see, and I am sure that i'll have an opportunity to remind you... in the meantime think of the scandal of Lebanese Can bank and how it got "bailed out" i insist on bailed out to prevent the collapse of the bank and probably the whole banking sector because of his involvement in the hezb dirty money
05 January 2012, 18:53
01
@mowaten, LOL you know now that you are lying...come on reslly "private donations" I would love to give hizb and its cronies a huge BIG donation from my private ...
05 January 2012, 18:58
00
Hahahaha, what private donations??? hahahah you are funny Mowaten... i really hope that you don't beleive what you are saying... i recommend that you go the Bekaa and have a look at what the Hezb is cultivating in every town he controls
05 January 2012, 19:00
01
and soon the hezb is going to take the biggest portion of oil proceeds because "he is protecting lebanon from the enemy" hahahah.... poor you, Lebanon is in the dark because a big portion of lebanese are like you Mowaten
06 January 2012, 13:32
00
you have to laugh at this arrogant mowaten irani !!!He "insists" most of this terror organization finances come from shia private donors working in africa etc. LOL.... and then his hizb pays iran for all the weapons it buys through western union in u.s dollars!!!
06 January 2012, 16:22
00
Well donating money to the organization that killed the PM (and many other figures)of Lebanon, for me and the rest of the world can be considered as helping a terrorist organization... if you don't beleive me, "Ntor el tez2i2" as Michel Aoun used to say and his followers used to repeat like "perroquet"
06 January 2012, 18:52
00
the filthy zionist information war department would like know if someone here is a official member of hezb'allah.
mind of your own business.
the filthy zionist information war department see dark as light.
fanclub...good job
