“Lebanon
agreed to adopt the final formula prepared by the American mediator”.
President
Aoun: “The agreement responds to the Lebanese demands and preserves our rights
in full. The achievement would not have been achieved without the unity of the
situation, the failure to make substantial concessions, and the failure to
engage in normalization”.
The
President reviewed the stages and difficulties that the demarcation file has
faced since 2010 and confirmed the recovery of 860 square kilometers, which was
disputed.
President
Aoun: “We have acquired the entire Qana field, and our land borders have not
been touched. Lebanon did not recognize the line of buoys created by Israel”.
President
Aoun: “The next step should be to hold talks with Syria to resolve the disputed
area to review the drawn borders with Cyprus and decide what to do in the
future”.
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, stressed “Lebanon’s
position by agreeing to adopt the final formula prepared by the American
mediator to demarcate the southern maritime borders. This indirect agreement responds
to the Lebanese demands and preserves our rights in full”.
President Aoun also thanked “Everyone who stood by Lebanon in this
achievement, which would not have been achieved without the unity and solidity
of the Lebanese position in resisting all pressures, and for not making any
substantial concessions, and for not engaging in any kind of rejected
normalization”.
In addition, the President addressed to the Lebanese at eight
o’clock this evening, which was broadcast on the audio-visual media, President
Aoun reviewed the stages that the demarcation file has gone through since 2010
until today, with all the domestic and external obstacles and difficulties that
he faced, and the obstacles that were placed in his face for political reasons.
“Concurrently, Lebanon had to activate the process of demarcating
its maritime borders, especially the southern ones, and to correct errors that
occurred in the demarcation with Cyprus” President Aoun said.
On the other hand, the President indicated that “Lebanon has the
right to consider what was achieved yesterday as a historic achievement,
because we were able to recover an area of 860 square kilometers that was the
subject of a dispute, and Lebanon did not concede any one kilometer to Israel”.
“We also obtained the entire Qana field without any compensation
paid by us for, although the entire field is not in our waters, our land borders
have not been touched, and Lebanon has not recognized the buoyancy line that
Israel created after its withdrawal from our lands in the year 2000, nor has
any normalization occurred with Israel, nor has any direct talks or agreements
been concluded with it” President Aoun said.
Moreover, the President revealed that the agreement stipulates how
to resolve any disputes in the future, or if any other common oil reservoir
appears on both sides of the border, which gives reassurance and a stronger
sense of stability on both sides of the border, and "We are able today,
after we regained the initiative, thanks to perseverance, effort and defense.
“This is what is right for us and for future generations, who we
hope will live in a better time than the one in which we lived, and that a
sovereign fund will be established that preserves the proceeds for them
according to the proposed law presented in this regard” the President added.
In parallel, President Aoun clarified that the next step
"Should be to hold talks with Syria to resolve the disputed area with it,
which is more than 900 square kilometers, through brotherly discussions. The
borders drawn with Cyprus should also be reviewed and what should be done in
the future”.
The President addressed the Lebanese: “Through your steadfastness
and the struggle of your resistance, which proved to be an element of strength
for Lebanon, you contributed to fortifying the Lebanese position in negotiation
as well as in confrontation, and you achieved this achievement, for you and for
future generations, all for the sake of your country's elevation, progress, prosperity
and comfort for Lebanon and the Lebanese”.
President Speech:
Address by His Excellency the President of the Republic General
Michel
Aoun to the Nation on the southern maritime border deal
Baabda 13/10/2022
“My fellow
Lebanese ladies and gentlemen,
My message to you today will touch upon one subject related to the
arduous and difficult negotiations that Lebanon has been engaged in over the
past ten years to demarcate its southern maritime borders and extract its oil,
and which have been positively concluded. I hope this will be a promising start
that would lay the foundations for an economic jump-start that Lebanon needs by
completing oil and gas exploration with a view to achieving stability, security
and development our country Lebanon needs.
Hence, following consultations with Parliament Speaker Mr. Nabih
Berri and Prime Minister Mr. Najib Mikati, in my capacity as Head of State,
after being informed by US President Joe Biden of Israel’s approval, and after the Israeli government declared its agreement, I declare Lebanon’s position of approving the adoption of the final version prepared by the American mediator for the
demarcation of the southern maritime borders, awaiting signature of the
necessary texts by the Americans and Israelis, in accordance with the
established agreement.
This indirect agreement responds to the Lebanese claims and fully
preserves our rights. I thank everyone who stood by Lebanon in this achievement
which would not have been possible without the unity and steadfastness of the
Lebanese position in resisting all pressures, making no substantive
concessions, and not engaging in any kind of rejected normalization.
My dearly beloved,
As you undoubtedly know, the milestone reached yesterday in the
maritime demarcation file and in the subsequent exploration and extraction, was
not the work of a moment, but the fruit of a long process that actually began
in 2010 when the Ministry of Energy and Water, which was then headed by
Minister Gebran Bassil, prepared the Offshore Petroleum Resources Draft Law,
which was approved in Parliament on August 17, 2010, as well as the issuance of
25 decrees concerned with the rules and regulations governing petroleum
activities, in addition to the establishment of the Lebanese Petroleum
Administration .
Also, Lebanon's first offshore licensing round was launched in May
2013. We hope that the decree dividing the Lebanese offshore into blocks and
the Model Exploration and Production Agreement decree, which is supposed to be
signed with the awarded companies, will be approved.
The launch of the first licensing round attracted 54 of the world's
largest companies, which expressed their desire to be granted licenses.
However, the political wrangling and the arguments that were invoked by some
parties, in addition to attempts made by others to hamper the vital projects
that the ministerial team which represented us in successive governments was
working on for purely political motives, have curbed the impulse and curtailed
both decrees, and this trend continued for more than four years.
When I became President of the Republic, my concern was to remove
the obstacles derailing the process, because I was aware of what it means for
Lebanon to be an oil-producing country.
Thus, I insisted on including the two remaining decrees to close
the licensing round, in the first item on the agenda of the first cabinet
meeting held in January 2017 after the government won the vote of confidence.
Following the approval of both decrees, the qualification round was launched in
preparation for the licensing round. In the meantime, the Council of Ministers
approved Lebanon's accession to the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative; thus, Lebanon became the fifty-second country to join this
initiative. In March 2017, 54 companies were qualified to participate in the
first licensing round, which was closed on October 12, 2017. The exploration
and production contracts in Blocks 4 and 9 have been awarded to a single
consortium comprising the French "Total", the Italian "ENI"
and the Russian "Novatek" companies. On February 27, 2020, I followed
up the field mission undertaken by “Total” vessel to drill the first well in
Block No. 4. However, the work has stalled for reasons I was not convinced of;
this happened in conjunction with the blockade and collapse Lebanon began to
endure.
My dearly beloved,
Parallel to the work on oil and gas exploration, Lebanon had to
activate the maritime borders demarcation process, especially the southern
borders, and fix the errors that occurred in the demarcation with Cyprus, which
Israel exploited to send to the United Nations Line No. 1; but then, Lebanon
submitted to the United Nations Line 23, which was defined by Decree No. 6433
in 2011.
Still, many years of negotiations and discussions on the maritime
borders have passed, and there had only been the proposal by the American
mediator at the time, "Hoff", of the line named after him, which we
rejected.
There has been successive American mediators who worked on the file
without reaching a version acceptable to Lebanon, until the mediator Amos
Hochstein took over the task; negotiations resumed between August 11, 2021 and
October 10, 2022 when an indirect agreement was reached, during which Lebanon
preserved its borders declared by Decree 6433 of 2011, and all of its blocks,
in addition to the entire Qana field, without prejudice to Lebanon’s share in
it, according to the contract signed with the international operator, in
addition to American and French guarantees of the immediate resumption of
Lebanese offshore petroleum activities.
My dearly beloved,
Lebanon has the right to consider what was accomplished yesterday a
historic achievement, for we were able to recover a disputed area of 860 square
kilometers, and Lebanon did not concede any single kilometer to Israel. We also
obtained the entire Qana field, without having to pay any remuneration,
although the whole field is not located inside our waters. Likewise, our land
boundaries were untouched, and Lebanon did not recognize the buoy line that
Israel created after its withdrawal from our lands in 2000. Besides, no
normalization with Israel took place. No direct talks or agreements were
concluded with Israel. As for the remuneration it demanded for a part of Qana
field located in the occupied waters, it will be paid by “Total”, and this will
not affect the contract signed between Lebanon and “Total”.
The agreement has also provided for the resolution of any disputes
in the future, or in the event of the identification of any other common oil
deposit on both sides of the border, which would add reassurance and impart a
stronger sense of stability on both sides of the border.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
Despite the internal obstacles that emerged in the oil and gas
file, and in the face of the external pressures that were exerted to prevent us
from benefiting from our gas and oil wealth, Lebanon has become an
oil-producing country. That which was a novel or a dream has become a reality
today, owing to our firm stand, our solidarity and the adherence to our rights.
This was enshrined in laws, decrees, surveys, awards, contracts and exploration
that began. In the coming days, “Total” will have to start exploration works in
the Qana field, as it promised, so that we can make up for the years that have
passed without being able to extract oil and gas, at a time when Israel was
pursuing its exploration and extraction operations, which resulted in an
imbalance in the petroleum activities. However, we are able today, after having
taken the lead again, owing to our persistence and efforts, and by defending
what is rightfully ours and the right of the generations to come; our hope is
that future generations will live better than we did. I also hope that a
sovereign fund aimed at preserving oil proceeds, according to the proposed law
submitted in this regard, will be established. Oil fields 8, 9 and 10 in the
exclusive economic zone were threatened; however, thanks to the agreement, we
were able to preserve and protect them, and we will fully develop them. Indeed,
the exploration process will open doors to new oil reservoirs, and provide
opportunities for other companies to participate in exploration and extraction
operations, which will restore the confidence in our country and foster hope
that we could be saved from the economic cliff. The next step should be to hold
talks with Syria to resolve the disputed area, which exceeds 900 square
kilometers, through brotherly discussions. It is also necessary to review the
demarcated borders with Cyprus and decide what should be done in the future. As
I dedicate this achievement to you, dear Lebanese, I would like, on your
behalf, to thank the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and
especially the American mediator, Amos Hochstein and his team, as well as the
American ambassador in Beirut and her assistants. I also thank the French state
and its president, my friend Emmanuel Macron and his aides, along with the
French ambassador in Beirut and her assistants, for following up on the
negotiations process, especially with “Total”. I also thank the United Nations,
which hosted part of the negotiations in Naqoura, and which will host the
necessary conclusion of the negotiations. My thanks go also to the brotherly
and friendly countries that stood by the Lebanese right and supported it. In
this regard, I would like to extend my appreciation to the State of Qatar and
its Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad II for the interest he showed in investing in
Lebanon with a view to promoting its stability. My thanks are also extended to
the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri, to Prime Minister, Mr. Najib
Mikati, to Deputy Speaker, Mr. Elias Bou Saab, who has led arduous and
difficult negotiations in recent months along with members of the team,
including military staff, experts and technicians. I also thank all other
officials who successively dealt with this file in the Ministries of Energy,
Water and Foreign Affairs, the head and members of the Lebanese Petroleum
Administration, the Army Command, especially the head and members of the
negotiating team, the LAF Hydrographic Department, and all the experts and
technicians who have been instrumental in the successful conclusion of the
negotiation process, owing to their experience and hard work. As for you, dear
Lebanese ladies and gentlemen, I thank you twice, for you have contributed,
through your steadfastness, dedication, and the struggle of your resistance,
which proved to be an element of strength for Lebanon, to fortifying the
Lebanese position in the negotiation and in the confrontation, thus
accomplishing this achievement, for you and for future generations, for the
advancement of your country, its progress, its prosperity and the comfort of
its people.
Long Live Lebanon”.