Report: Lebanon-Israel Sea Demarcation Talks Back to the Spotlight
The maritime demarcation negotiations between Lebanon and Israeli reportedly jumped back to the forefront once the head of the US delegation sponsoring the Naqoura talks, American Ambassador John Desrocher, arrived in Beirut yesterday afternoon, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.
According to circles informed on Desrocher’s visit, the latter is expected to visit President Michel Aoun on Monday, before meeting with the head and members of the Lebanese delegation participating in the talks in Yarze, said the daily.
Sources familiar with Lebanon's position said the delegation is ready to discuss any new proposal based on the internationally-recognized law of the sea, while recognizing the demarcation line
Lebanon, witnessing the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, is eager to resolve the border dispute with Israel, paving the way for potential lucrative oil and gas deals.
The U.S. has been mediating the issue for about a decade, but only late last year was a breakthrough reached on an agreement for a framework for U.S.-mediated talks. The talks began in October but stopped a few weeks later.
Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war. They each claim about 860 square kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea as being within their own exclusive economic zones.
In the second round of talks, the Lebanese delegation -- a mix of army officers and civilian experts -- offered a new map that pushes for an additional 1,430 square kilometers for Lebanon.
Lebanon's leadership is not united behind the Army Command's decision regarding the extended area.
Israel already has developed a natural gas industry elsewhere in its economic waters, producing enough gas for domestic consumption and to export to Egypt and Jordan.
Lebanon, which began offshore drilling earlier this year and hopes to start drilling for gas in the disputed area in the coming months, has divided its expanse of waters into 10 blocs, of which three are in the area under dispute with Israel.
Ras Naqoura already hosts monthly tripartite, indirect Israel-Lebanon meetings over violations along the land border.
Israel and Lebanon also held indirect negotiations in the 1990s, when Arab states and Israel worked on peace agreements. The Palestinians and Jordan signed agreements with Israel at the time but Lebanon and Syria did not.
14 June 2021, 10:16
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I wonder about this myth that the Lebanese are educated, smart, multilingual, advanced and have brains. Through selection of their leaders, the Lebanese have proven to be the most stupid people on earth. Even those who didn't vote during election were stupid. So, please guys don't tell us anymore about the Lebanese miracle of preponderance. Lebanon has become like Yemen, a failed state, owing to its stupid people only. We have reached a point of being ashamed telling others that we are Lebanese!!!!
Imagine that the Lebanese have voted for Aoun and Basil. Is there anything more outrageous than this. These two are the optimization of stupidity.
PS: Had the Lebanese been smart, they would have been the first to sign a deal on borders before Israel sucks all its treasure and leave us the bones. But, what would anyone expect from deranged Lebanese.
14 June 2021, 19:46
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It's not the "deranged" Lebanese, but what actually happened was that Lebanon and Israel DID come to a direct agreement, but when the Lebanese delegation returned home and brought it to the attention of the then Syrian occupiers, they tore it up and refused to allow Lebanon to sign the agreement.
For some unknown reason, even after the Syrians quit Lebanon, all the governments from then until now have refused to renew the talks. They even refuse to talk directly to the Israelis during the meetings at Ras Nakoura.
14 June 2021, 20:19
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Israel has so far sucked more than 50% of the gas reserves embedded into sea blocks assumed to be pertaining to Lebanon. I do believe that the Israelis are more interested in portraying themselves to others as wanting to demarcate the sea borders with Lebanon, while in reality they are torpedoing any agreement by created imaginary obstacles in order to such the remaining 50% and then when the area is gas empty, they would give it to the Lebanese. then, this area would no no real value. But, had the Lebanese been smart, they would have aggressively pursued talks and finalized it to start using the sea borders for solving their dire economic state. Lebanon has been and will be a lost case and all of this is due to its deranged people. They simply have no brains to choose their leaders.
