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Beirut: “The Gulf” – Agencies
Lebanon denied, on Friday, Israeli accusations that it changed its position regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two Mediterranean countries, while the forensic audit firm “Alvarez and Marsal” terminated its contract with the Lebanese side to audit the accounts of the Central Bank, after it failed to obtain the documents required of it, as mentioned by the Lebanese presidency and the Ministry of Finance.
And Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a tweet on “Twitter”: “Lebanon has changed its position on its maritime borders with Israel seven times.”
He added that his current position not only contradicts his previous positions; It also contradicts Lebanon’s position on the maritime border with Syria, which takes into account the Lebanese islands close to the border. He continued: “Whoever wants prosperity in our region and seeks to develop natural resources safely must adhere to the principle of stability and resolve the dispute on the basis of what Israel and Lebanon have deposited with the United Nations,” emphasizing that Any deviation from that will lead to a dead end and betrayal of the aspirations of the peoples of the region.
Fixed position
Immediately, the Presidential Information Office denied the accusations made by Steinitz, and confirmed in a statement that the Israeli minister’s words were unfounded, because Lebanon’s position is consistent with respect to indirect negotiations on the issue of maritime demarcation. in accordance with the directives. That President Michel Aoun handed over to the Lebanese negotiating delegation, especially with regard to the Lebanese exercise of its sovereign right.
President Aoun wrote in a tweet on the presidential Twitter account that he confirmed during his meeting with the commander of the international forces operating in the south (UNIFIL) that the maritime borders are demarcated on the basis of the line that begins by land from the Ras al-Naqoura point based on the general principle known as the middle line. , Not counting any impact on the occupied Palestinian coastal islands. The negotiations mainly concern a marine area that extends to about 860 square kilometers, according to a map sent in 2011 to the United Nations. However, Lebanon subsequently considered that it was based on erroneous estimates. During the negotiating sessions, Lebanon will demand an additional area of 1,430 square kilometers, including part of the Karish field in which the Greek company Energian operates, according to Laurie Haitian, director of the Institute for the Governance of Natural Resources in the Middle East and North of Africa.
On the other hand, the account of the Lebanese Presidency on Twitter reported that the Minister of Finance in the interim government, Ghazi Wazni, informed President Aoun that he had received a letter from Alvarez and Marsal Company to terminate the agreement signed with the Ministry Finance for forensic accounting, because the company did not obtain the information. And the necessary documents to begin to carry out your mission.
Chemical removal
Meanwhile, the Lebanese authorities this month signed a contract with a German company to remove dangerous chemicals that had been stored for more than ten years in the port of Beirut, which witnessed a terrible explosion in August, killing some two hundred people. and destroying a large area of the capital.
In addition, the Commander of the Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun, received the Chief of Staff of the French Armies, General Francois Le Contrée, at the head of a delegation, as part of an official visit during which he would hold discussions on the relationship between the two armies and ways to improve them, and would sign a memorandum of understanding to develop the capabilities of the Lebanese army.
