Change and Reform Urges Approval of Oil Decrees, Rejects Army Term Extensions

The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc led by MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday called for approving two decrees related to offshore oil and gas excavation, while reiterating its rejection of term extensions for military chiefs.

“The bloc views positively the financial report that was submitted to cabinet by (Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil), seeing as it included serious, practical suggestions in the absence of a state budget,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting in Rabieh.

“The two oil decrees require a meeting for the specialized ministerial committee and their approval in cabinet without any political obstruction. The two decrees are technical par excellence and they would boost confidence in the economic and financial situations, according to what was recommended in the finance minister's report,” the bloc added.

“That must be followed by passing a taxation law that preserves the rights of the people and the treasury,” Change and Reform said.

Asked about the issue of military appointments, ex-minister Salim Jreissati, who recited the statement, told reporters that the bloc did not discuss the issue.

“The bloc's stance is clear and there is a need to appoint a chief of staff and the cabinet has the ability to make appointments. Our stance is principled and clear and we oppose any term extensions,” Jreissati added.

The bloc's stance on oil exploration comes after a recent meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri after which the two parties announced that they have resolved their difference regarding the file.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has announced that he will not convene the oil ministerial committee before gathering “all the data” about the issue of offshore oil and gas exploration, noting that the file requires “high readiness on all levels.”

Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves that could generate billions of dollars.

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.

In August 2014, the government postponed for the fifth time the first round of licensing for gas exploration over a political dispute.

The disagreements were over the designation of blocks open for bidding and the terms of a draft exploration agreement.

Lebanese officials have continuously warned that Israel's exploration of new offshore gas fields near Lebanese territorial waters means that Israel is siphoning some of Lebanon's crude oil.