Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Monday that Imam Moussa al-Sadr was the first individual to speak of Lebanon’s possible oil and gas wealth.

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Monday that Imam Moussa al-Sadr was the first individual to speak of Lebanon’s possible oil and gas wealth.

He said before his visitors: “The oil file will be the first topic of discussion with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during his upcoming trip to Lebanon on Friday.”

He added that he had brought up this issue at the national dialogue sessions that were held in the past, citing studies carried out by major companies that confirmed the existence of large reserves of offshore oil and gas.

Addressing the parliamentary electoral law, the speaker said: “Proportional representation is the most appropriate form for the law because it eases sectarianism and asserts national unity.”

Turning to the situation in the Arab world, Berri remarked: “It’s important for Lebanon to distance itself from these developments to avoid its negative repercussions.”

He said that the developments are a cause for concern, voicing a fear that they may pave the way for regimes that “grant freedom, but do not threaten Israel.”

On January 4, the cabinet approved the executive decrees for the law on oil excavation in Lebanon’s territorial waters.

Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil said that finalizing the decrees was a step that “highlights the seriousness of the Lebanese government and Lebanon in addressing this issue.”

“According to the studies and analyses we’re conducting and developing day after day, our oil wealth is spread across our entire exclusive economic zone and it’s not limited to a certain area and there are no disputed areas,” Bassil revealed.