Bassil Says Lebanon to Adopt Israel's “Tactics” over Oil Drilling
Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil lashed out on Wednesday at Israel, considering that it can't prevent Lebanon from protecting its oil reserves as he accused it of digging a well 5 kilometers from Lebanese offshore reserves.
“We will treat Israel as it is treating us. The Jewish state can't oblige us to commit to stances that it fails to keep,” Bassil said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.
He stressed the Lebanon “isn't looking for any trouble as it's discussing with the Americans the possibility of resolving the dispute with Israel.”
Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.
Bassil had previously warned in July that Israel’s discovery of a new offshore gas field near Lebanese territorial waters means the Jewish state could siphon some of Lebanon’s crude oil.
“We are working within the international laws and norms and we will not breach (Israel's) maritime border,” Bassil said, adding that Lebanon “will hold onto its rights.”
He noted that the “Lebanese state is trying to guarantee its right to exploit its oil wealth.”
Bassil also lashed out at Lebanese officials who “paralyzed” the petroleum file.
Lebanon has been slow to exploit its maritime resources compared with other eastern Mediterranean countries. Israel, Cyprus and Turkey are all much more advanced in drilling for oil and gas.
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.
The formation of the Petroleum Authority in November was the first major step in future oil exploration since parliament passed a law in 2011 setting the country's maritime boundary and Exclusive Economic Zone.
The country will witness the first oil exploration process in 2015 and it will take a year to enter the production stage.
over 10 years
You know in Lebanon what is worst than Israel the enemy of all race? Is ignorant people such as yourself who proclaim knowledge, historical people such as GMA will never die but you & your kind will die in every sunshine as a bacteria will fade away.
over 10 years
Golda meir among the great? You must be talking about great terrorists.
over 10 years
The only true part of your comment is "IS REAL" You are correct Israel is real.
over 10 years
it's true ya khaffif you're one blind thick puppet
over 10 years
Hey,you Talk like me. Get a personality you copycat!
over 10 years
He is speaking of our national wealth being stolen by israel, and this is the only response you guys are able to come up with?
This wealth is an immense opportunity for us to get rid of our debt, to achieve real independence from foreign sponsors (ALL foreign sponsors), this is our chance for prosperity, growth, to build a Nation with real infrastructure (24/7 electricity for god's sake!!!)
AND IT IS BEING STOLEN BY ISRAEL
and that's all you're capable of doing? yapping insanities like retards?
this is why i will never trust any of you nor the puppets you follow for anything, neither our prosperity, nor the defense of our country. As Sophia said, you are bacterias.
over 10 years
Bless you Bassil, Bless your father-in-law, and Sayyed Hassan for standing tall against Israeli aggression towards Lebanon and its natural resources. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. They drill 5 kms inside Lebanese territory, we the lebanese in our millions inside and outside Lebanon will each take a shovel, wear goggles, and drill for oil underwater in Israeli territorial waters. Danger is real but fear is a choice. We the lebanese have chosen to fight with our lives in Syria, and if the need arises we shall do it in Israel and the Galilee. Bless Aoun and the FPM for this historic stand on matters of national security.
over 10 years
RFT I have to disagree with you on the Sayyed standing tall part... how could someone that spends his life hiding underground in fear of the Israelis stand tall? Hizbullah thugs do have a lot of expertise in digging tunnels, ditches and lately their own graves, they could give imBassil a hand.
over 10 years
Hello my friend g_p: I respect your disagreement of my views. However, men standing tall is an expression of their acts and stances rather than of the physical location where they stand. Granted, Sayyed Hassan has been living in a cave since we won the war in 2006 and dealt the Israeli army a bitter and humiliating defeat, but that is largely attributed to security reasons. Sayyed has millions of adoring fans and acolytes, and had his living address been known to the public, he would not be able to live a normal life. Just ask Justin Bieber....
over 10 years
you certainly are
over 10 years
What a woman.. I love her :)
over 10 years
If only you had peace with Israel you could have started the co-operation that would have brought the oil and natural gas to Lebanon years ago, and not seen the frequent electricity shortages that go on until this very day. Not to mention the income that could have been earned through the export of these products.
This is another case of Lebanon "cutting off its nose to spite its face".
over 10 years
there will be peace with israel when there is justice. in the mean time you can shove your propaganda you shill.
over 10 years
Once again - the moment someone disagrees with your warped direction of thought they are automatically a Zionist. Wake up man, there are millions of people around the world who have open minds and are willing to look at both sides of a problem.
Withdrawal is one of the reasons that the peace talks are taking place with the Palestinian Authority.
I see that you are even more extremist than the extremists in the PA, you want Israel to withdraw from the WHOLE of JERUSALEM. Definitely wishful thinking on your behalf.
over 10 years
Remember - Lebanon and Israel were very close to signing a peace treaty in 1988, but this agreement was torn up by your Syrian occupiers. Now, 25 years later, Syria does not occupy Lebanon, so get back on the peace horse. I'm sure that you will find Israel a more than willing partner. Jordan and Egypt did, and they have not "suffered" from it.
over 10 years
Please read my earlier comments on this matter.
over 10 years
it's not because you disagree philipo, it's because you ALWAYS defend israel and spit on lebanon. and every word that comes out of you has the rotten stench of overused israeli propaganda.
go ahead, call me an antisemite now, so you'll have completed the full spectrum of zionist lameness.
over 10 years
wpw progma, you overdid yourself today. that must be the smartest comment you ever posted. i understand the urge to post it ten times.
over 10 years
I am not a shill and I agree with phillipo. Why don't we have peace with Israel? The Palestinians are working on it.IF we had peace we would be drilling and prospering.inetead we are war mongering.
over 10 years
This oil should remain at The bottom of the sea.... Its the oil that will divide and finish off Lebanon. Moreover, it's an energy of the past....
over 10 years
lak ma khassak 2nta keep quiet ya isra-loving shill.
You ask for israel to attack the LAF for our own good, the south for our own good, and steal our oil for our own good. And now you're worried about the environment(for our own good of course)? How about you keep to yourself and not talk about a country you've been away from for 30 years. Allez galops ya watwat.
over 10 years
Ha ha,I wasn't even born 30 years ago.
Of course, it's all for the greater good.
Make me imperator, and I'll bring prosperity, clean water, and food to every Lebanese.
over 10 years
Are you afraid to log in under your real alias to deliver this message> LOL. Pathetic!
over 10 years
benzona, very cute. Clutz.
Justice, why would I make an account? There are many guests and being a guest is very fun. Besides, you wouldn't like it if I'm a user, 2/3 of my posts don't make it through ya fake justice bala marba.
over 10 years
flamethrower, do not blame flamecatcher, for he knows not what he does. He is asking lebanon to stop its research into offshore oil drilling, allow israel to syphon our oil, and silence those trying to fight against the tyranny and one-dimentionality of the opposition, the saud-converts the anti-lebanese, that is to say, the useless and perilous.
He is most likely a saudi/JIDF shill. Give him a break ft, he makes good points ;)
over 10 years
Bassil is upset because he is not getting the commissions he was promised by the oil companies unless the oil draft law is signed.
over 10 years
anony, it's mikati. Naharnet has posted about him not being in lebanon/not attending/refusing/etc time and time again. Keep up.
over 10 years
Gebran Bassil is right. The oil file should move already. Mikati is retarding it to buy yet more properties in tripoli and that is a disgusting attitude.
over 10 years
Texas.
It is mikati who is stopping them. But he cannot name him for political reasons.
over 10 years
anonyme i respect your views but you are wasting your time. flamecatcher is a shill, his only concern is to distract us with unrelated issues, while israel steals our wealth.
look at you and me, we do not agree on almost everything, we have entirely different views, but we both care about Lebanon's wealth and well-being. why/ because we are both Lebanese.
as you noticed, FC here doesnt care, his only concern is his hatred against HA. why do you think that is?
over 10 years
funny how people bark for oil and try to prove to know everything just for the sake of defending their dear M8 leader...
we all perfectly know that no wealth will ever fall in the lebanese citizens pockets...
those smart guys are just defending the share of cake the politicians are greedy to get...
like brave little sheep they are....
there are so many IMPORTANT issues waiting to be dealt with for the WEALTH of lebanon and lebanese but they keep barking over oil to make forget the disaster they have put lebanon into! LOL
3aw 3aw
over 10 years
of course anonyme! for me hezbollah has no value if it is not to defend lebanon. i do not care about hebollah itself, i care about the positive impact it has on lebanon (i know you will not agree, but this is how i perceive it)
the day lebanon will not need hezbollah as a resistance party, i will support it becoming only a political party (as in without the military branch).
over 10 years
true. phoenix i believe anonyme is right. the filthy rich crooks will use their money to single out the "good ones" from the "black sheep". those who bend over backwards for the masters will get some crumbs to survive on, while those who will stand up will be smashed down.
in a way, it already started. 400$ is the crumbs people accept to vote for a corrupt crook, and let him screw them over for 4 years.
over 10 years
no it is not irony phoenix, it's more like pragmatism:
any $ that israel steals from us, is a $ that will be used against us. it would be paying for the bombs that will destroy us.
on the other hand, when lebanon exploits its wealth, EVEN if say half of it is diverted into corruption (i'm taking the assumption but i believe this can be avoided, or at least minimized), it is still 0.5$ that goes into serving lebanon.
what would you chose? 1$ used AGAINST you or 0.5$ used FOR you?
over 10 years
mowaten... i agree with your pragmatic arithmetics...
Bottom line, we WILL be stolen. But at least we will get something instead of having israel stealing it from us...
I wonder how much they can siphon off from oil oil, how much oil is in common... i heard the levanthian oil field is huge. is it the field in common?
over 10 years
cheers guys, i appreciate your reactions here, it gives me hope that we might some day work together as a people towards our common goals, even if we do not agree on other things :)
of course it is rather sad to think that unavoidably we will be stolen, but it will be up to us -the civil society- to pressure them and minimize the amount stolen. we can't pretend to erase injustice and corruption, but we can hope for some decency ;)
over 10 years
texas... a pension fund? waow!... watch out for the falling purchasing power of the dollar...
over 10 years
"Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars."
the dispute is not because it is israel, every country has maritime disputes.
take france and canada: they are arguing also over a maritime border!
over 10 years
The BIG difference is that France and Canada are allies, and are talking to each other to try and solve their bilateral problems.
over 10 years
heres an idea peace between lebanon and israel with both countries respecting each other and developing the fields together.join jordan and egypt .and start developing a powerful democratic prosperous middle east union dont cut your nose off in spite of your face
over 10 years
FT was here yesterday. why did they remove him?
The national thief-in-law has mastered the Iranian militias dogma. Israel bark bark bark Israel bark bark bark. Just like the lunatic Aoun he flaps his gums and does nothing.