[ad_1]
Negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel will begin on Wednesday at the headquarters of the United Nations force in southern Lebanon, under the auspices of Washington.
Lebanon and Israel announced earlier this month that an understanding had been reached to begin negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations at its headquarters in the border city of Naqoura, in a step that Washington described as “historic” between two countries in state of war.
In Naqoura, the delegations of the two sides should sit in the same room, provided they do not speak directly, but through a United Nations representative, according to Lebanese officials, and in the presence of the US Under Secretary of State for Near East Affairs. , David Schenker, provided that US Ambassador John DeRucher plays the role of mediator in the negotiations.
Israel described the negotiations, which refer to an area extending to some 860 square kilometers, as “direct”, which Lebanon insists on denying.
The Lebanese delegation includes four members, military and two civilians, they are Brigadier General Bassam Yassin, Colonel Mazen Basbous, technical expert Najeeb Masih and a member of the Oil Sector Authority, Wissam Shabat.
On the other hand, the Israeli delegation includes six members, among them the director general of the Ministry of Energy, Udi Adiri, the diplomatic adviser of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuven Azar, and the head of the Department of Strategic Affairs of the army.
The appointment of politicians by Israel within the delegation generated controversy in Lebanon, which insists on the nature of the technical negotiation, similar to previous talks that took place in the framework of the Nissan Understanding Committee after the Israeli process ” The Grapes of Wrath “in 1996, or the negotiations to demarcate the Blue Line after the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, and finally the meeting. The trio, which has been held periodically since the 2006 war, led by UNIFIL, with the participation of soldiers from the two countries.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Tuesday that “technical negotiations and investigation should be limited to this specific issue.”
Over the years, Washington led the mediation between the two parties, which intensified with the signing of Lebanon in 2018 of the first contract to explore gas and oil in two areas of its territorial waters, one of which is in the party in dispute with Israel.
Lebanon has long insisted on linking the demarcation of maritime borders with land borders, but the negotiations will focus solely on maritime borders, provided the demarcation of land borders is discussed, according to the United Nations, within the framework of the periodic tripartite meeting.
