Lebanon complains to UN over oil spill

Beirut, March 3 (IANS) Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has filed a complaint to the UN, asking for investigations into an oil spill that reached the country's shores late last month.The Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that it has asked for the UN's technical support, stressing the need for the world body to determine the causes of this leakage, and the party responsible for it, enabling Lebanon to claim compensation for the environmental damage caused by the oil spill, reports Xinhua news agency."Lebanon does not have the capacity to address this environmental disaster and limit its incessant repercussions," the statement said.Black deposits were discovered late last month on the coast of Tyre, south Lebanon, and covered around 200 metres of the area that make up a major part of the Tyre Nature Reserve.Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab blamed an Israeli ship for the oil spill.
--IANS ksk/