Lebanon Approves Draft Law on Maritime Boundary

Lebanon''s lower house of parliament approved on Thursday a proposed law on the demarcation of the country''s maritime boundary. The draft law defines Lebanon''s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is a sea zone that gives a state the right to explore its maritime resources. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said before the Parliament that the a adoption of this law has a particular importance as Israel and Cyprus have started oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean. For his part, Jubran Bassil, the Energy Minister said this law was adopted according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while the government will develop the necessary mechanisms for the implementation of the maritime boundaries.