Cyprus weighs up options on Israel-Turkey pipeline
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Kobi Gideon/Israeli govt)
When Israel and Turkey signed an agreement last month to normalise their relations and pave the way for an interconnecting gas pipeline, the Cypriot government immediately said it would block the project. But although it might be possible for Cyprus to make a legal case for blocking the pipeline, it may be better off pursuing a different course.
Article 79 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) says a state cannot impede the construction of a pipeline across its continental shelf apart from for environmental reasons or unless it would negatively affect its exploration for, or exploitation of, oil and gas.