Salam in Doha to resume electricity development talks

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban: Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam and Minister of Energy and Water Joe Sfeir are continuing in the Qatari capital, Doha, discussions on Lebanese-Qatari cooperation in the electricity sector, particularly regarding projects proposed to develop electricity production in Lebanon, and to import gas and electricity through Syria, as well as establishing new power plants and a floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification. They are also negotiating an agreement for the supply of LNG from Qatar for a period of twenty years, in addition to renewable energy projects.

In Beirut, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara al-Ra'i stated during a mass that “what preoccupies Lebanon is the transition from fear of war to working for a lasting peace. Concern has returned strongly to the south with the continuation of Israeli strikes and military movements, and with fears of a long-term Israeli presence in some southern areas.” He pointed out that “Lebanon needs a lasting peace, not for its people to live between temporary calm and constant fear of a new war. Lasting peace is directly linked to the clarity of national decision-making authority. The monopolization of weapons and the decision on war and peace are not transient slogans in political debate, but rather the foundations of state order and stability. Unity of authority in security and peace protects the country from having its fate divided among multiple decisions.” He believed that negotiations, political efforts, and diplomacy remain subject to a test of results. Negotiations must not turn into successive rounds while the reality remains unchanged: halting aggression, consolidating stability, protecting the south, and keeping Lebanon out of the circle of war. This is what negotiations are expected to achieve.

For his part, Metropolitan Elias Kfoury of Sidon, Tyre, and Marjayoun for the Greek Orthodox Church issued a call to the international community on the occasion of the approaching Independence Day anniversary, urging “officials in the state and abroad, and the people of the region” to assist “their brothers”: “They are besieged by Israel and cannot move.” He added: “Now UNIFIL is about to leave the area. To whom are we leaving it? We appeal to international officials, the United Nations, and major powers to deter Israel and stop it in its tracks, and to allow people residing in the south to benefit from their land. Israel prevents them from accessing their land and harvesting its fruits, such as olives and other fruit-bearing trees, and it also attacks the trees, not just the people.” He also appealed to “the international community to end the occupation.” He said: “Our first task is to work on Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territories, and we have been promised that. Where is the United Nations? Where are the United States? And where are the major powers that promised that?”