Mikati says Hezbollah backs government's sea border proposal

Hezbollah backs the Lebanese government’s decision regarding sea border demarcation and its response to the proposal presented to the U.S. mediator was “not negative,” PM-designate Najib Mikati said.

“We do not want a war and all that we want is to extract gas from the Eastern Mediterranean,” Mikati said in an interview on Qatari satellite TV network Al Araby.

“We have submitted to U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein a proposal regarding the gas in the Eastern Mediterranean and we cannot back down from what we offered,” Mikati added.

Turning to the issue of his appointment as PM-designate, Mikati said “the sectarian fabric was not balanced during the (binding) parliamentary consultations,” in reference to the fact that he did not receive any vote from the country’s main Christian parties.

He, however, stressed that his new government will “conform to the National Pact and respect sectarian balances.”

Mikati also revealed that “there has been no communication nor contact with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.”

“Despite this, I don’t see that there is any problem with him,” Mikati added.