You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Lebanon eyes recently discovered Tamar 1 natural gas reserve
2009-01-20
he Lebanese government might warn Noble Energy Inc., a US corporation which is part of the consortium that discovered the Tamar 1 gas reserve off the shores of Haifa, that the reserve may be in part in Lebanese territorial waters, according to Al Liwaa, a Lebanese paper.

In a meeting of the Energy, Infrastructure and Public Works Committee in the Lebanese Parliament, Chairman Muhammad Kabbani said Israeli media reports on the recently discovered natural gas reserve raise the possibility that the reserve extends to Lebanon's territorial waters. "We should take every legal measure possible in order to preserve Lebanon's right," the paper quoted Kabbani as saying.

Kabbani added that he was concerned of the possibility that Lebanon would lose because "Israel is the only country which is not a signatory to [international] maritime agreements."

According to Al Liwaa's report, Lebanon has a desire to draw the borders of its territorial waters vis-à-vis neighboring states, including Israel. The country is therefore expected to ask Noble Energy for confirmation that drilling does not reach Lebanese territory, and also to warn the company that as long as it works for "the Israeli enemy" and the issue is not resolved, it must avoid producing gas in order to preserve any quantity of natural gas that might be found to belong to Lebanon.
Posted by:Glomotch Thavise2856

#2  Nuke Iran... in Beirut.

Seriously, there may actually be a legal issue here, but I doubt Lebanon can put enough pressure on ANYONE to force their own judgment to be accepted over those of Israel. International laws governing national borders state that the borders extend outward from the littoral equally between the two nations. IF there are gas deposits in Lebanese waters, Lebanon has equal right to tap the deposits within their territorial waters as Israel has to tap reserves found in THEIR territorial waters. I don't think Lebanon is going to be pleased with the international decisions made regarding these deposits, but that's life.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2009-01-20 21:44  

#1  Screw Hezbollah.
Posted by: imoyaro   2009-01-20 20:53  

00:00