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The second round of negotiations to demarcate the borders between Lebanon and Israel will begin today Wednesday and will continue for two days, inside the United Nations headquarters in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, in the presence of the US mediator John Drocher, in the middle of a An Israeli welcome to what it called “positive voices speaking of peace.”
Two-day talks in the presence of Deruscher
At the same time, the Israeli Energy Ministry said Israeli and Lebanese officials will meet today, Wednesday, in the second round of infrequent talks aimed at resolving a maritime border dispute between the two countries, revealing that a meeting is expected on Thursday. .
The ministry added that an Israeli delegation will head to the UN peacekeeping base in the Lebanese border city of Naqoura, where the US ambassador to Algeria, John Derucher, will mediate the negotiations, according to the website. ” Times of Israel “.
The first round of talks was held on October 14 and the United States and the United Nations, in a joint statement, considered the meeting “fruitful”.
The Israeli delegation will be led by the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Udi Adiri, who will be accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Energy, Mor Halutz, as well as by Aviv Ayyash, the minister’s international adviser. In addition to the Deputy Councilor for National Security Reuven Azar, Deputy Director General of the United Nations and International Organizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Bar.
The talks will also be attended by General Oren Steer, head of the Israel Defense Forces Strategic Division, and Haim Srebro, an international border expert and former head of the Israel Studies Authority.
The Lebanese state did not issue any official position, speaking of the start date of the second round, nor of the composition of the delegation that represents it.
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‘Positive voices’
On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz welcomed the words of Lebanese President Claudine Michel Aoun Roukoz’s daughter, who said she could contemplate a peace deal with Israel after resolving border disputes and related issues. with the Palestinians, according to one newspaper.
During a visit to a military training center, Gantz said he heard “positive voices in Lebanon that can speak out about peace and relations with Israel, and these are words of welcome.”
Aoun’s daughter welcomes peace
Claudine Aoun, daughter of the Lebanese president, confirmed this Monday in an interview with the Lebanese channel Al-Jadid that “there is no objection” to thinking of reaching peace with Israel “, but after solving all the problems”, referring in particular to the demarcation of borders, the issue of Palestinian refugees and natural water resources. And oil and gas.
And to the question: “When we solve the problems and finish the demarcation of the borders, does Claudine Aoun not mind that the State concludes a peace agreement with Israel?”
He indicated, in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, that “after solving these problems, there is no objection to the Lebanese state making peace with Israel, after demarcation and the guarantee of resources,” and added: “I defend the interests of my country, Lebanon first. I have no ideological conflict with anyone. But my dispute is political. “
“A step in the journey of a thousand miles” … The end of the first round of negotiations on the demarcation of the borders between Lebanon and Israel
The first round of border demarcation negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli parties, which took place on Wednesday, ended at the headquarters of the United Nations Force (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon and under the auspices of Washington, with the second round scheduled for October 28, according to Lebanon’s official Information Agency.
At the beginning of this month of October, Lebanon and Israel announced to reach an understanding to begin negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders, under the auspices of the United Nations, in a step that Washington described as “historic” between two countries in a state of war.
The two parties, who are technically in negotiations, are trying to resolve a long-standing dispute over the limits of their marine exclusive economic zones, which are believed to contain large deposits of the precious natural gas.
The last major confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel dates back to the summer of 2006. Since then, the two camps have sporadically exchanged fire along the border between the two countries, and the Israeli Air Force has targeted positions of Iranian-backed factions in neighboring Syria, including Hezbollah.
Gantz warned that “if Hezbollah takes action against Israel, Lebanon will pay the price … We are ready for this moment, which I hope never comes.”
