Mustaqbal Delegation Meets Cypriot Speaker, Emphasizes Need to Demarcate EEZ
A delegation from the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, headed by MP Fouad Saniora, held talks on Tuesday with visiting Cypriot Speaker Yiannakis Omirou on latest developments and the need to bolster ties between Lebanon and Cyprus.
Saniora said after the meeting: “We discussed common causes, especially the need to demarcate the Exclusive Economic Zone between the two countries.”
“We addressed several ideas to resolve the disputes linked to this issue,” he added.
“There are possibilities to achieve progress in this matter in a manner that favors Lebanon,” he explained.
Furthermore, the former premier stressed the need for cooperation between the Lebanese and Cypriot governments in order to settle the issue.
“Cyprus is the nearest European country to the Arab world and Lebanon and it can play a positive and constructive role in bolstering ties between the European Union and Arab world,” Saniora remarked.
For his part, Omirou revealed that discussions with the Mustaqbal delegation focused on the EEZ and ways to bolster cooperation between Lebanon and Cyprus.
The Cypriot speaker had arrived in Lebanon on Monday on a three-day visit where he held talks with President Michel Suleiman, his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati and a number of officials.
Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars.
The cabinet approved in September the proposed borders of Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Mediterranean.
In early November, the cabinet approved the appointment of the six members of the petroleum authority and in June, Lebanon was able to restore 530 square kilometers of a maritime zone that it considers it to be within its zone.
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.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/63283 |