Details of the third round of demarcation negotiations … “A very positive atmosphere” and this is the story of the maps of the Lebanese delegation

Nazir Reda wrote in the newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat under the headline “Negotiations to demarcate the Israeli-Lebanese borders delve into maps”: “The Lebanese and Israeli delegations at the third session of the maritime border demarcation negotiations yesterday followed the discussion that began the day before yesterday on the maps and land points that should be that from it the maritime borders be cleared, in the midst of an extreme secrecy around the negotiations, whose fourth session was postponed to November 11.

The United States Department of State and the Office of the United Nations Special Representative in Lebanon said in a joint statement that “the Lebanese and Israeli delegations held constructive discussions with the US mediation on the border demarcation” and indicated that they hope that these negotiations reach a long-awaited solution.
The Israeli Energy Ministry issued a statement saying that its delegation yesterday completed “the second round of negotiations with the Lebanese delegation at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura,” noting that it was agreed that the next round would take place within the next month. .

The third session of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel was held under the auspices of the United Nations and with US mediation in the Ras al-Naqoura area, and the discussion was deepened over a period of four hours, with the maps that were produced. the session and technical coordinates, completing the second session that began to delve into technical details, Lebanese sources said. It is closely related to the negotiation of the “Middle East”.
The Lebanese National Information Agency reported yesterday that the Lebanese delegation was carrying maps and damning documents showing points of dispute and Israel’s violation of the Lebanese right to annex part of Block 9.
The sources indicated in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the atmosphere was very positive, and there is secrecy and insistence on not leaking any details related to the details of the negotiations.” He explained that the discussion was about the technical file after each party presented the maps and coordinates that push each one to test the validity of their maps. . The sources highlighted that the Lebanese side “adheres to the proposal it is making, and presents its proposal together with maps and historical, geographical and topographic documents that confirm the validity of its proposals.”
The maps provided by Lebanon demonstrate its right to a 2,290 km marine geographic area, starting from the land border line drawn in 1923 and documented in the armistice agreement in 1949. The Israeli Karish energy field is divided in half. Israel has frozen drilling in a maritime patch adjacent to Lebanon’s southern border since the start of negotiations.
Lebanese sources told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the negotiation, which the two parties agreed from the first session to keep secret, “will not be easy” and “it is natural that there is a tug of war between the two parties, which is a purely technical disagreement that is being addressed with technical mechanisms. ” But he indicated at the same time, that “the two sides have a serious intention to reach a conclusion.”
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