Macron vows to follow up French energy giant Total’s oil exploration

BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to follow-up French energy giant Total's oil and gas exploration in Lebanon to ensure its continuous work, a statement by Lebanon's Presidency reported.

"You can count on Total's commitments; I will follow up on the matter," Macron said on Saturday in a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun.

The leaders of Lebanon and Israel announced on Tuesday that the two countries had agreed to resolve a decades-long dispute over their maritime boundary in the eastern Mediterranean, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, Aoun announced Lebanon's approval of the final version of the agreement proposed by the US energy envoy Amos Hochstein to demarcate maritime borders with Israel.

The agreement, a copy of which was seen by Xinhua, grants Total exploration rights at the Qana gas field.

According to the agreement, Qana would be located mostly inside Lebanon, although Total will share some profits with Israel.

For his part, President Aoun emphasised the importance of signing the border demarcation agreement in order to begin drilling operations and then the extraction of oil and gas.

"This will have a positive impact on Lebanon's stability and the revival of the economy amid the current tough circumstances," he said.