’’Israeli’’ Breach Imbedded Messages, Decision in UN A Lebanese Interest

Mariam Ali

"To arrive late because of the former government's neglect is better not to come."
Lebanon finalized Thursday the first step in its battle to protect oil wealth from "Israel's" greed. Away from narrow personal interests, the various parliamentary blocs gave the green light to oil's draft law.
 
Maritime Law Approved, Gov't Decrees Ready

Lebanon's Parliament endorsed Thursday a draft law demarcating the county's maritime borders with occupied Palestine and Cyprus during the second day of a two-day legislative session.

The Lebanese legislative move, which Prime Minister Najib Mikati praised as a "great achievement," comes parallel to expectations that the country's economic zone is to be rich with oil and natural gas resources.

The draft law was endorsed after introducing an amendment to Article 6, as proposed by Mikati. The article specifies the borders of Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone.

"We discussed this matter with international legal experts ... a company specializing in topographic matters will determine the coordinates of the Exclusive Economic Zone next week," PM told the lawmakers, clarifying that "the economic zone coordinates would be stipulated in a government decree."

For his part, Energy and Water Minister Gibran Bassil stressed that "the most important development is that we set a law framework to the issue of maritime borders."

"This is an achievement to the government, especially since the subject was sleeping in the drawers since 2007, despite all the calls," "as-Safir" Lebanese daily quoted the minister.

Clarifying that the permanent problem is that "Israel" fabricated a conflict within our maritime borders," Bassil added that the "only answer if it ("Israel") persists on its position, is to create a similar conflict zone within the "Israeli" side i.e. within the marine waters of occupied Palestine, because the conflict is not on one side and such wells and wealth are common."

"This is the aspect through which Lebanon will move in the government so that we can devote to remove any conflict zone on both sides of maritime borders," said Bassil.

The minister also pointed to "the need to complete the follow-up to solve the problem with Cyprus, in order to correct the error which it has done with "Israel", noting that Cyprus had already admitted the existence of this error."
 
And on the date of the issuance of governmental decrees, Bassil told "as-Safir" that" " it is assumed from now and up to ten days the maritime borders decree is to be issued."

"I see no reason for the delay in its issuance," he added.

The Minister of Energy and Water assured that "immediately after the first batch of decrees are issued, and specifically upon the issuance of a decree determining maritime borders, I will adjourn to the government all ready decrees in the Ministry related to exploration and concessions."

Suleiman: Won't Allow Anyone to Lay Hands on Oil

For his part, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman commented on the legislative step by saying that "the journey toward exploiting Lebanon's offshore natural gas and oil reserves had begun."

"Lebanon's oil wealth would reduce the country's public debt if properly managed," Suleiman pointed out before visiting delegations at Beiteddine Palace, the summer residence of the president, Suleiman said that.

Warning that "Lebanon would stand firm against any attempt to steal its resources, which could guarantee coming generations a better future, he added that: "we will not allow anyone to lay his hand on our wealth, which our children and grandchildren deserve."

"We will not only pass debts to them but also a wealth that will guarantee them a better future so that they remain in Lebanon," the president emphasized.

Regarding the economic development, Suleiman said "the new government should swiftly undertake administrative and electoral reforms, particularly administrative decentralization which directly impacts economic growth and rural development."

"It is important to separate efforts to undertake reform from political bickering, in order to promote accountability and transparency," Suleiman noted.

The president added that "the stability that Lebanon enjoys is the result of democracy in the country, where Christians and Muslims live together and participate in politics," Suleiman said.
 
The parliamentary approval on maritime borders came on the second day of a session that also witnessed the adoption of 25 draft laws.
 
Honor crimes, human trafficking, prohibiting personal exploitation of information, financial markets, and four pay levels for full-time secondary teachers were some of the draft laws that the parliament passed.

MPs resumed the discussion of a draft law on promotions and benefits within army ranks after it was debated Wednesday. However, House speaker Nabih Berri sent the draft law to parliamentary joint committees, citing a "contradiction" in the positions of the committees that studied it.

Parliament referred an urgent draft law granting amnesty for some crimes committed before Dec. 31 last year to Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee, and Berri urged committee members to finish studying it within one week.

"I was told by the interior minister that prisoners would make trouble if there was no outcome from this session. But this makes me more determined not to legislate under threats," Berri said.

After wrapping up the session, Berri called for a new one on Aug.10 to discuss the remaining draft laws.

Decision in UN: A Lebanese Interest

Speaking to reporters on his way out of Parliament, PM Mikati stated that "Lebanon chose to disassociate itself from the United Nations Security Council statement on Syria out of its firm position that it will not intervene in the internal affairs of other countries."

"Lebanon does not meddle in the affairs of other nations, especially Arab ones, and it expects others not to meddle in its issues," he told the reports adding that "in Lebanon's view, the Security Council statement does not help in tackling the situation in Syria."
 
"The Lebanese stand took into consideration the sensitivity of the situation in Lebanon," PM explained.

Rejecting claims that the government's position is hindering international legitimacy," Mikati said that "such allegations are part of the political dispute in Lebanon or they are derived out of ignorance over how Security Council resolutions are made."
 
In the same context, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said that "Lebanon's stance at the UNSC comes out of the conviction that the country shouldn't adopt any resolution that condemns Syria," "as-Safir" newspaper reported Friday.

"I believe that we shouldn't adopt any resolution that condemns Syria, to ensure the security and stability of the two countries," he stressed.

Noting that "Lebanon's stance wasn't disgraceful; and we care about Lebanon's stability and security," the minister was quoted saying that "any decision of that kind affects stability in (Syria), which in turn will affect Lebanon negatively."

Sources told the daily that Lebanon's at the Security Council was based on political consensus led by PM Mikati.

Meanwhile, "an-Nahar" newspaper reported that Mansour will visit the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday to meet with President Bashar Assad and his counterpart Walid al-Muallem.

"This is the first visit by the Minister to the Syrian capital," the newspaper added.

"Israeli" Breach Imbedded Messages

In another context, "as-Safir" reported political, military, and intelligence observers' information that stopped at the last high level of readiness of the intelligence services active in Lebanon, linked to developments in the Arab world, particularly in Syria, and is associated with direct "Israeli" entering on the line through its violations of Lebanese sovereignty, without mentioning the activity of its spy systems that the official security and the resistance are monitoring.

A well informed source told the daily that "the timing of the breach in conjunction with the celebration of the Army Day in the first of August is a direct "Israeli" message targeting the fixed core of the Lebanese authority of "the people, the army, and the resistance" equation."

"The implicit message targets PM Najib Mikati, in particular, in space and implications since during his Southern tour Mikati most prominent stop was at the Wazzani spring checking water facilities and declaring an official position that "Lebanon will protect his full water rights, and it seemed as if "Israel" chose to respond in the same place and through breaching Lebanese territory at this point," the sources remarked.

Stressing the need to "take new precautionary measures especially by resistance", the source urged the resistance to "take into consideration that any staff or official regardless of the degree of responsibility is part of the "Israeli" Bank of targets especially after the victory of the resistance security apparatus in the detection of three party members working with the CIA."


Source : Lebanese Newspaper