Lebanese parliament speaker to visit Iran

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is scheduled to pay an official visit to Iran on Friday. During the trip to Tehran, Berri is due to meet senior Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. The Lebanese parliament speaker is reportedly slated to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation in various fields, specially in oil and gas exploration, in his meetings with Iranian officials. He will also exchange views over the latest developments in the region during his meetings in Tehran. Media reports said that the Lebanese parliament speaker will later leave Iran to also visit Armenia where he will discuss bilateral ties. On Thursday, Berri urged officials to launch efforts to drill for oil and gas in Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone, including the 870-square-kilometer area that the Zionist regime of Israel says is part of its waters. Lebanon warned the United Nations earlier this month that Israel's proposed sea border threatens peace and security. It said the Israeli claim infringes on Lebanon's EEZ, a sea zone that gives a state the right to explore its maritime resources. The Israeli cabinet in July approved a map and submitted it to the United Nations. The Israeli map conflicts with Lebanon's proposed borders, which give the Jewish state less territorial waters and was submitted to the U.N. last year.