Lebanese Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab on Oct. 3, 2022, at the Presidential Palace. (Credit: Dalati Nohra/Handout/Reuters)
Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab on Thursday called for "direct and public" communication with Damascus to demarcate the maritime border between Lebanon and Syria.
The US-brokered sea border deal with Israel guarantees "stability" in a volatile region, where the two enemy states seek to exploit potentially gas-rich Mediterranean waters, Bou Saab, Lebanon's top negotiator said Tuesday in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
Beirut now wishes to define its maritime borders with Syria to the north, and Cyprus to the west, to consolidate its offshore rights.
"The Lebanese government must engage directly and publicly with the Syrian government ... and publicly demarcate our sea borders," Bou Saab said. "Any future government must undertake this task and put Lebanon's interest first," he insisted, while "leaving regional political conflicts out of this matter."
Syria has repeatedly refused to delimit land and sea borders with its neighbor.
In recent years, Lebanese politicians have been deeply divided over relations with Damascus. Lebanese security officials and politicians have made several visits to Syria, but almost exclusively in their personal capacity or on behalf of political parties that support the Syrian regime.
The powerful Shiite organization Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's forces since the early stages of the conflict, has been advocating for rapprochement with Damascus.
'Demands and reservations'
Bou Saab said the disputed maritime area between Lebanon and Syria is "perhaps more than 800 square kilometers (310 square miles)." It could be "larger" than the area that had been disputed with Israel, he added.
Lebanon cannot begin gas exploration in its northern waters near Syria without first resolving its border dispute with Damascus, Bou Saab said.
The Lebanese presidency announced last month that a delegation would visit Damascus for sea border talks, but the trip was postponed. The Syrian ambassador in Beirut, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, said the postponement was due to "confusion" over the proposed dates. But after years of Lebanese distancing, Bou Saab said Syria had "demands and reservations."
Lebanese officials are betting on the potential revenues from the country's offshore energy reserves to revive its devastated economy, mired in crisis since 2019.
Political paralysis compounds the country's economic woes. Lebanon is without a president as of Nov. 1 and has been governed by a caretaker cabinet since May.
'Stability and hope'
Lebanon needs an agreement with Syria in order to map its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with Cyprus.
One day after the agreement with Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus agreed to move ahead with sea border talks, but the two countries have yet to strike a deal.
"In a single day, we agreed to change our border with Cyprus," based on the new coordinates with Israel, Bou Saab said.
Under the agreement with Israel, Lebanon gained full rights to operate and explore the Qana or Sidon reservoir, parts of which fall in Israel's territorial waters. Israel will receive direct compensation from the firm operating Qana.
French giant TotalEnergies and Italian energy giant Eni has been licensed to explore the field. Russia's Novatek was initially part of the consortium but later withdrew, and Qatar has stepped up to join, Bou Saab said.
"Qatar will have 30 percent after an agreement between the three companies, while Eni and Total will each have 35 percent," he said. The companies are expected to start operating in three to four months, Bou Saab estimated, adding that other Arab Gulf states are interested in investing in Lebanon's offshore resources.
There are still no proven gas reserves in the Qana reservoir, and analysts cautioned that it will take years to start production in Lebanese waters.
The deal was welcomed by both Israel and the country's enemy, Hezbollah.
Common financial interests at the border mean that conflict is less likely between the two enemy states, Bou Saab said, as European demand for gas soars after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"This deal brings stability and hope on a regional level," he said.
Bou Saab was the lead Lebanese mediator in the indirect talks on the delineation of the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel — talks that resulted in an agreement last month. He was granted a national award in October for his mediation efforts.