Report: Lebanon Requests US Mediation with Israel on Demarcation of Maritime Border

Lebanon renewed “requests” from the United States to pursue “mediation” with Israel to demarcate the maritime border in order to preserve its oil wealth right, mainly the border oil field Block 9 which Lebanon fears that Israel could steal, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Saturday.

Lebanon made that request during the recent visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Beirut, said the daily.

The “initiative” came amid questions on whether Washington would succeed in reassigning the task.

Questions also arose on whether the US would task Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield, amid some Lebanese reservations, because of his bias positions toward Israel in the debate over Lebanon’s ideas for demarcation of the maritime border with Israel, added the daily.

“It is still too early to predict whether the US figure to be tasked with this mission would be a "fair broker.” But he would certainly take into consideration the security situation that would ignite if Israel was to attack the Lebanese wealth, which according to experts is estimated at billions of dollars,” an unnamed source following closely on the issue told the daily.

Yesterday, a consultation was held between Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on the “discreet” ideas presented by President Michel Aoun to US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard, according to a source.

“Out of keenness to make them succeed, the ideas were kept discreet and out of the media spotlight,” he added.

After a meeting with Berri on Friday, Bassil said: “Israel is incapable of touching our wealth. We have no fear for these rights, but there is a mechanism for negotiation," he said.