Bassil Hits Back at Geagea: Who Allowed You to Renounce Our Rights
Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil on Friday hit back at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, without naming him, over remarks made by the latter earlier in the day on the issue of Lebanon’s maritime resources.
“Who allowed him (Geagea) to renounce our rights and jeopardize Lebanon’s borders, sovereignty and resources?” Bassil asked rhetorically.
Earlier on Friday, Geagea slammed Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s recent speech in which he vowed that his party would retaliate against any Israeli attack on Lebanon’s future oil and gas installations.
“Who appointed you, Sayyed Nasrallah, as the guardian of the Lebanese people’s rights?” Geagea said.
“I agree with Sayyed Nasrallah on several points, but only the Lebanese state institutions can defend my rights and not an illegitimate power,” Geagea added.
Defending Nasrallah, Bassil said “the question should not be addressed to someone who is trying to defend these rights, but to those who are squandering these resources.”
Following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh, Bassil added: “We have not started oil exploration since 2010 until now because a law” on oil exploration has not been approved up till now.
He also accused Saad Hariri’s government of intentionally delaying the drafting of the law.
“Under the new government, a new law is being drafted without delay, that’s why no one should … start launching accusations in this regard,” Bassil noted.
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