[ad_1]
Image posted, Reuters
A first round of indirect talks has been held between Israel and Lebanon with the aim of addressing a long-standing dispute over their maritime borders.
The negotiations are aimed at reaching an agreement that paves the way to take advantage of an area believed to have huge gas fields. This could provide the source of income that Lebanon, which is facing severe economic difficulties, needs.
The first round of talks took place at the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Naqoura, near the Lebanese border with Israel.
Informed sources told the BBC that the next meeting will take place on October 28.
The Israeli-Lebanese talks came weeks after Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations with Israel.
Lebanon and Israel are still officially at war after decades of conflict, and the two countries agreed to the talks after US mediation.
Hezbollah, which fought a war against Israel in 2006, anticipated the talks stating that they were not a sign of its openness to a peace deal with Israel.
In a statement released in the evening, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement said that the negotiating team should include only military officials, without civilians or politicians.
And they demanded “to immediately retract this decision and reconfigure the delegation in line with the framework of the agreement.”
