House Speaker Nabih Berri said during his weekly meeting with MPs on Wednesday that the hopes of the Lebanese are pinned on oil resources, noting that these hopes must be accompanied by all mechanisms capable of saving Lebanon, its economy and its people from current crises.
On the Eurobonds’ issue, Speaker Berri stressed that the decision in this regard “must be national, not subject to outbidding or differences, out of keenness on Lebanon and the Lebanese interests.”
He also said that people’s bank deposits are sacred.
On the other hand, Berri received the Water and Energy Minister, Raymond Ghajar, accompanied by a delegation from the French company Total, who informed the Speaker about the date for the start of drilling of the first oil well in the offshore block 4, expected in the coming few hours.
On emerging, Minister Ghajar said the visit came to announce the start of the exploration phase of the first oil well in Block 4 in the Lebanese territorial waters, with the arrival of the drillship in Lebanon yesterday.
Ghajar said the drilling works will last 60 days or less, to be followed by results’ analysis.
Later, Berri met with the Minister of Finance, Ghazi Wazni, and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Ibarhim Kanaan, with whom he discussed the general situation in the country, especially the monetary and economic situation.
On emerging, MP Kanaan described the meeting with the Speaker as “useful and fruitful,” saying they discussed financial dossiers and the required legislations at the national level, namely those pertaining to the fight against corruption, recovery of public looted money, lifting bank secrecy, illicit enrichment law and other laws.
Source: NNA
