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An agreement between Israel and Lebanon was announced to hold talks with a view to ending the maritime border dispute between the two countries.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said a framework agreement had been reached to start indirect talks.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese army will be Lebanon’s representative in the talks that will take place in the border region between Israel and Lebanon under the auspices and supervision of the United Nations. The United States will play a mediating role in this agreement.
The Israeli Energy Minister confirmed that the talks would take place after mid-October.
“Our goal is to end the dispute over the demarcation of territorial waters between Israel and Lebanon to help develop natural resources for the benefit of all the peoples of the region,” he added.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted: “This agreement offers the potential for greater stability, security and prosperity for the citizens of both countries.”
Berri revealed that the talks would take place in the Naqoura border region in southern Lebanon.
He explained that reaching this framework agreement took about ten years, and four US representatives took turns negotiating it, indicating that the visit of the US secretary of state to Beirut last March put the file on the table.
Image posted, EPA
Berri said a framework agreement had been reached to start indirect talks.
This announcement comes a few weeks after Israel signed agreements to normalize relations with both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with US mediation.
Lebanon and Israel, which are still officially at war, have been fighting for decades over their land and sea borders, and a solution to the conflict will allow them to exploit natural gas fields offshore.
Both countries have technically been at war since the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-1949.
Although there is no agreed land border between them, they are committed to a ceasefire along the so-called Blue Line.
The United Nations drew the border between them after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending 22 years of occupation.
In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war that killed some 1,190 Lebanese and 163 Israelis, and the conflict ended with a truce brokered by the United Nations.
This agreement, which represents a change in the direction of Lebanon, comes at a time when the country faces a suffocating crisis as its economy collapses under a mountain of debt, and the crisis was compounded by the explosion of the port of Beirut on 4 August, which killed about 200 people and caused damage. Material worth approximately $ 4.6 billion in buildings and infrastructure.
It also comes a few days after the designated prime minister, Mustafa Adib, resigned after not agreeing to form a ministerial, due to the difficulties he faced with the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, who demanded the right to nominate some ministers, according to some sources.
Image posted, Reuters
Israel develops natural gas fields in the Mediterranean
UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces after the Beirut port bombing) welcomed the announcement of the talks between Israel and Lebanon.
“UNIFIL welcomes today’s announcement on the framework agreement to start negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries,” it said in a statement.
It expressed its willingness to provide all possible support to the parties and facilitate efforts to resolve this issue. He affirmed his support for any agreement between the two countries, which increases confidence and motivates the parties to re-commit to respecting the Blue Line and the broader border demarcation process.
