Bassil: Lebanon's oil wealth is being targeted

Caretaker Minister of energy Gebran Bassil held on Sunday a press conference in which he said that Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam cannot form a fait accompli cabinet which he dubbed it as "unconstitutional."

He also noted that rotation of powers should be implemented at the beginning of a government's new term and not during a cabinet that will last for only a small period of time.

Bassil stressed that Lebanon's oil wealth is being targeted as well as the achievements in this file.

Interest in drilling in the eastern Mediterranean has grown since two natural gas fields were discovered off Lebanon's shores.

Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said in September that one southern bloc alone could hold 12 trillion cubic feet and this was enough gas to produce electricity for Lebanon for 99 years.

Lebanon hopes that gas discoveries could help address its government debt and chronic domestic power shortages, but repeated delays mean it is already several years behind in exploring those potential reserves.

The minister concluded by saying that Christians must not be deprived from sovereign portfolios.