Lebanon's political leaders hailed on Thursday the formation of the Petroleum Authority, the first major step in future oil exploration since parliament passed a law last year setting the country's maritime boundary and Exclusive Economic Zone.

The appointment of the six-member committee for a six year term by the cabinet on Wednesday “is more than important and comes as part of the government’s achievements,” Speaker Nabih Berri told An Nahar newspaper.

Speaker Nabih Berri urged on Wednesday the need to activate government work in order to tackle pending issues and the people's daily concerns.

He revealed that he had conducted over the past few hours “intense” contacts over the appointment of members of the petroleum authority.

President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Miqati congratulated on Wednesday Barack Obama on his reelection as U.S. president for a second term.

Suleiman said in his cable of congratulations: “I would like to take this opportunity to express my desire to bolster cooperation between our two countries and advance our bilateral ties in all fields.”

Italian deputy Foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura was optimistic on Wednesday that the Lebanese would overcome their political crisis and engage in dialogue.

“We are concerned over the stability and security of Lebanon amid the Syrian crisis,” De Mistura said following talks with Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr arrived in Beirut on Tuesday for a two-day visit to meet with senior Lebanese officials and stress his country's support to the resumption of the national dialogue among the political foes.

He kicked off his visit by meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab and later Speaker Nabih Berri and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel.

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated on Tuesday the necessity to hold dialogue among political powers away from external alliances, and stressed that “efforts to solve the (country's) crisis are still blocked.”

In an interview with the al-Akhbar daily, Berri encouraged Lebanese factions to solve their own problems, criticizing the opposition March 14 alliance for boycotting the cabinet activities.

Lebanon's top leaders congratulated on Sunday Egypt's new Coptic Pope Bishop Tawadros, hoping his selection would lead to dialogue between the Egyptian people and unity among Muslims and Christians in the region.

In a statement he issued after the church chose the new pope in an elaborate ceremony, Speaker Nabih Berri said the selection of Tawadros' name from a chalice by a blindfolded boy “was a lesson in democracy that should be adopted in the Arab world at all levels.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stated that a foreign company had conducted a survey of Lebanon's offshore and land petroleum and gas resources, which revealed that the country enjoys a wealth that exceeded previous estimates, reported As Safir daily on Saturday.

He said that Spectrum and Petroleum Geo-Services company's survey revealed that Lebanon enjoys the greatest oil and gas wealth in the region, surpassing that of Israel.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat described on Friday a decision to postpone parliamentary sessions as “excellent.”

“All efforts should be exerted to safeguard Lebanon,” Jumblat said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

Speaker Nabih Berri postponed on Thursday a parliamentary session set for Nov. 7 after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati to guarantee the participation of all parties.

The speaker said a new date for the plenary session will be set at a later time.