Lower House of the Egyptian Parliament has approved a draft law authorizing the republic's Oil Minister Tariq al-Mulla to conclude a contract with Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Lukoil Overseas for oil exploration and production in the desert in the east of the country. Earlier, the minister noted that Lukoil has prospects for obtaining new areas for oil and gas prospecting, as cooperation between Egypt and the company has been going on for a long time and is characterized by joint successes.