Satterfield in Ain el-Tineh, Meets Berri
U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield, mediating a dispute between Lebanon and Israel over offshore gas drilling rights, held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh on Thursday, LBCI said.
Ain el-Tineh sources told LBCI that “Lebanon will not waiver its oil rights. All the Americans have is the Hoff Line suggestion and the Israeli's are trying their best to circumvent the situation.”
A statement issued by Berri's press office said "there was nothing new in today's meeting."
"The Speaker's stance has not changed," the statement added.
Satterfield has also been holding talks with Lebanese officials on the subject.
On Wednesday he met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.
Berri had emphasized Wednesday that Lebanon will not allow Israel to seize control of parts of its offshore oil and gas fields.
“Lebanon's stance is unified and coherent in terms of defending our sovereignty, oil resources and maritime and territorial borders,” Berri said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers.
The U.S. official was in occupied Palestine before he flew to Beirut for oil dispute talks.
The dispute dates back years but recently resurfaced when Lebanon invited companies to bid for exploratory offshore drilling next year along the countries' maritime border.
Israel claims Lebanon will be drilling partly in areas owned by Israel.
Lebanon and Israel are technically at war, and quarrel over their land borders.
Lebanon is protesting a wall Israel is building along the cessation of hostilities line, following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. It says the border wall may jut into Lebanese territories.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press
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