President Michel Aoun on Thursday said he told visiting Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos that Lebanon will not accept to join any Mediterranean gas consortium comprising Israel.
“I thanked the president for his country’s stance on Jerusalem and its stance on the Syrian Golan. I also stressed that the U.S. president’s decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital represented a blatant violation of the foundations of international legitimacy and the U.N. Charter,” Aoun said at a joint press conference.
He also warned that Trump’s decisions “threaten the sovereignty of Lebanon, which possesses territory occupied by Israel.”
As for the thorny issue of Syrian refugees, Aoun said he briefed the Greek leader on the burdens that Lebanon is shouldering as a result of the presence of “more than 1.8 million displaced person in addition to the chronic Palestinian refugee file.”
“This requires common responsibility based on quick action aimed at facilitating their return to safe regions in Syria,” the president added.
Turning to the issue of maritime gas resources, Aoun said he emphasized “Lebanon’s right to extract oil and gas within its Exclusive Economic Zone.”
“I underscored our rejection to join any forum or cooperation mechanism comprising Israel, especially the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum,” the president went on to say.
Separately, Aoun said Lebanon is looking forward to the Lebanese-Greek-Cypriot summit that Nicosia will host in order to “strengthen the various aspects of cooperation.”
Pavlopoulos for his part acknowledged that Lebanon “shouldered a huge responsibility during the Syrian war” as to hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
“We are very grateful over what you are doing,” the Greek president added, noting that “Europe has not been present as needed since the beginning of the crisis in Syria.”
Pavlopoulos also held separate talks Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
He later laid a wreath of flowers at the Martyrs’ Monument in downtown Beirut.
NNA said that talks will highlight the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Greece and the means to promote them at various levels.
The Greek President’s visit comes one day after the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon agreed to sign agreements on multiple cooperation pacts on tourism, economy, trade and culture. The Presidents of the three countries are to meet at a summit to sign them.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/258974-aoun-tells-pavlopoulos-lebanon-won-t-join-gas-forum-comprising-israel