Moussawi Urges Timely Elections, Calls for Avoiding 'Mistakes' in Oil File

Outspoken Hizbullah MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi called Sunday for holding the upcoming parliamentary elections on time and according to a new electoral system that “expands parliament's popular base,” also stressing that Lebanon's offshore oil and gas resources must not be turned from “a fortune into a curse.”

“The settlement that led to a new constitutional structure must be completed, especially at the level of building state institutions, and the cornerstone must be the parliamentary polls, which must be held on time and according to a new electoral law,” Moussawi said.

“We want this law to enjoy the approval of the political forces so that no party feels that it is being excluded from this political process. However, we don't want this consensus to allow the exclusion of certain political forces from the legislature and we must seek an electoral law that expands parliament's popular base,” the MP added.

He emphasized that pluralism in Lebanon “necessitates the presence of a political sphere containing a lot of diversity.”

Turning to the issue of Lebanon's oil and gas, Moussawi said his party is “pleased” over “the serious manner in which this file is being tackled.”

He however warned that “this progress must be based on solid foundations and we must not fall into mistakes from the very beginning so that the fortune does not turn into a curse.”

“The important remarks of our two ministers over the two decrees must be taken into consideration,” Moussawi urged.

The long-awaited decrees were approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who had served as energy minister in the past, described the approval of the executive decrees for oil and gas excavation as the government's “first achievement.”

The two ministers of the Progressive Socialist Party voiced reservations over the approval of the decrees and a committee was formed to study the rest of the issues related to the file.

The key decrees pave the way for oil and gas extraction off Lebanon's coast, after more than two years of political deadlock had stymied previous efforts.

The decrees authorize regulators to divide the offshore areas into blocks for drilling and exploration and to issue tenders.

Earlier this decade, geologists discovered a bonanza of gas reserves off the coasts of Lebanon and Israel, sparking a frenzy of development on the Israeli side to tap into the fields.

Lebanon's successive governments, beset by infighting and corruption, made only marginal progress toward that goal.

A portion of the reserves lies in territory disputed by the two countries.

Hizbullah has repeatedly warned Israel against tapping into Lebanon's gas reserves.