Bassil Sends Letters to UN, EU, Foreign Ministers on Israel Infringing Territorial Waters
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Thursday stressed that Lebanon “will not allow infringement of its rights and sovereignty” following Israel’s breach of Lebanon’s territorial waters.
Bassil addressed letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly and the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, and to the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece and Italy on the project of extending pipelines between the occupied Territory and said countries, the National News Agency reported.
He warned against “tampering with Lebanon's rights to the Special Economic Zone," and stressed the need to abide by international laws of the sea and coordinates sent by Lebanon to the UN Secretary-General's Office.
Bassil warned that "Lebanon will not allow infringement of its rights and sovereignty.”
In February, Speaker Nabih Berri has warned that Israel had licensed a company to excavate for oil and gas near disputed maritime areas with Lebanon.
He raised the issue with Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte and said “it was necessary to raise the issue of Israeli violations against Block 9. We have warned the oil companies excavating in Lebanon’s oil, including the Italian ENI, on the issue.”
In 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas in a pair of offshore zones, including Block 9 which Israel says belongs to it.
A consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI, and Novatek has pledged to begin drilling off Lebanon's coast in 2019.
Total has said that the dispute between Lebanon and Israel over Block 9 only covers eight percent of its surface area.
But Lebanese officials have said the whole zone belongs to Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has insisted it is solidly in Israeli territory.
Source: Naharnet
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