Lebanon wants to demarcate its maritime border with Syria, after reaching a similar agreement with Israel to start exploiting hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean, Lebanon’s top negotiator told AFP.
The agreement signed in October through the United States between Israel and Lebanon, still technically in a state of war, will bring “stability and hope” in the region, said Elias Bou Saab in an interview Tuesday night.
Beirut now wants to delineate its western border with Cyprus and its northern border with Syria to expand gas exploration.
“The Lebanese government must communicate directly and publicly with the Syrian government … and publicly delineate the maritime borders,” said Bou Saab, Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
“Any future government must undertake this task and put the interest of Lebanon first,” he added, calling for “leaving regional political conflicts out of this matter.”
Syria, which for decades exercised a tutelage over Lebanon, has repeatedly refused to delimit its land and sea borders with the small neighboring country.
According to Mr. Bou Saab, the disputed maritime area between Lebanon and Syria represents “perhaps more than 800 square kilometers”. It could be “larger than the disputed area with Israel.”
Reserves
Lebanon cannot start gas exploration in the northern blocks without resolving its border dispute with Syria, Bou Saab said.
The Lebanese presidency announced in late October that a delegation would travel to Damascus to discuss the issue, but the trip did not take place.
Mr. Bou Saab explained that Damascus had “requirements and reservations”, without specifying which ones.
Since Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in 2005, under pressure from the street and the international community, Lebanese leaders have been deeply divided over the relationship with the Syrian government.
The powerful pro-Iranian armed movement Hezbollah is fighting on the side of the government in Syria, but other parties are opposed to a rapprochement with Damascus.
Israel’s agreement could not have been reached without the consent of Hezbollah, which called it a “victory.
Mr. Bou Saab stressed that, although he does not consider the agreement to be a recognition of Israel, it is considered “a breakthrough.
After this agreement, Lebanon agreed with Cyprus on a common formula for the delineation of their maritime border.
But Beirut needs an agreement with Syria to be able to trace its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with Cyprus.
“In just one day, we agreed to change our border with Cyprus,” based on the new coordinates with Israel, Bou Saab said.
Qatar in the running
Lebanese officials are banking on potential offshore resources to try to revive their country’s economy, which has collapsed since 2019.
But the country has been without a president since the beginning of November, and is run by a resigned government that is dealing with current affairs without being able to make important decisions.
The agreement between Israel and Lebanon will allow Beirut to begin hydrocarbon exploration in the Qana field, part of which is located in Israeli territorial waters, in return for payment of compensation to the Hebrew state.
The commercial viability of the Qana reservoir has not yet been confirmed and analysts have warned that it will take years before Lebanon enters the exploitation phase.
An international consortium was formed by the French group Total, the Italian ENI and the Russian Novatek, but the latter withdrew.
Novatek will be replaced by a Qatari company, which will hold 30% of the block after reaching an agreement with TotalEnergies and Eni, said Bou Saab, according to whom the consortium should start operations “in three to four months”.
Doha “will have 30% after an agreement between the three companies, while Eni and Total will each hold 35%,” he explained.
Other Gulf Arab states could invest in Lebanon’s offshore resources, he said.
