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Lebanon and Syria discuss potential offshore oil riches
BEIRUT, Lebanon, (UPI) -- Lebanese President Michel Sleiman held discussions with Syrian President Bashar Assad over their land and sea borders and their potential offshore oil wealth.
During a Lebanese-Syrian summit in Damascus Sleiman discussed with Assad local, regional and international developments, commenting, "There is an oil wealth in the sea which Israel began to extract. We think it is essential to take necessary measures to protect Lebanon's rights," An-Nahar newspaper reported Friday.
Sleiman stressed during his talks with Assad the need to demarcate not only the Lebanese-Syrian land frontier, but the two countries' maritime border as well.
Sources familiar with the discussions speaking off the record said Syria is frustrated over Sleiman's position on the subject because Damascus suspects that Lebanon's stance is a consequence of pressure exerted by both Washington and U.N. special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to monitor the border, which Syria sees as covert Western demands on Damascus and Hezbollah to pressure the Palestinian resistance.
BEIRUT, Lebanon, (UPI) -- Lebanese President Michel Sleiman held discussions with Syrian President Bashar Assad over their land and sea borders and their potential offshore oil wealth.
During a Lebanese-Syrian summit in Damascus Sleiman discussed with Assad local, regional and international developments, commenting, "There is an oil wealth in the sea which Israel began to extract. We think it is essential to take necessary measures to protect Lebanon's rights," An-Nahar newspaper reported Friday.
Sleiman stressed during his talks with Assad the need to demarcate not only the Lebanese-Syrian land frontier, but the two countries' maritime border as well.
Sources familiar with the discussions speaking off the record said Syria is frustrated over Sleiman's position on the subject because Damascus suspects that Lebanon's stance is a consequence of pressure exerted by both Washington and U.N. special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to monitor the border, which Syria sees as covert Western demands on Damascus and Hezbollah to pressure the Palestinian resistance.