Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri declared that the issue of oil tops tha agenda in the upcoming talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri declared that the issue of oil tops tha agenda in the upcoming talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Berri said "The Fuel file will be the main topic of discussion with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during his upcoming trip to Lebanon on Friday."

Berri was speaking during a meeting on Monday at the House with a delegation of new Press Syndicate Council, headed by Dean Mohammed Baalbaki, where they engaged an array of domestic and Arab affairs, with emphasis on the new electoral law.

Turning to the situation in the Arab world, Berri remarked: "It's important for Lebanon to distance itself from these developments to avoid its negative repercussions."

He said that the developments are a cause for concern, voicing a fear that they may pave the way for regimes that "grant freedom, but do not threaten "Israel"." 

"The situation in Syria is different from that of other countries," Berri noted, highlighting the importance of the success of the Arab initiative despite its flaws. 

It is to note that The House passed a law setting Lebanon's maritime boundary and Exclusive Economic Zone last August. Lebanon also officially submitted to the United Nations a maritime map that conflicted with the one proposed by "Israel."

Also the Lebanese Energy and Water Minister Gibran Bassil asserted that Lebanon plans tender-attraction for offshore oil prospecting within the coming three months, downgrading dangers of possible "Israeli" clash.

"American, European, Russian and Chinese groups have expressed interest," said the Minister, "we are working on making possible offshore prospecting a stabilizing factor [for Lebanon] rather than a reason for dispute."