Report: Lebanon-Israel Sea Border Talks ‘Secure, Can’t be Disrupted’
After reaching an agreement on a framework of indirect U.S. mediated talks to demarcate Lebanon and Israel’s maritime border, an international official emphasized that the talks are “fortified” and “can not be disrupted,” al-Jomhouria daily reported on Saturday.
The UNIFIL leadership informed Lebanese authorities that logistical preparations for the launch of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel at its headquarters in Naqoura are fully prepared to receive the negotiators.
They expressed hope the two parties would be able to quickly complete the final agreement, said the daily.
On the other hand, an international official told the newspaper that the agreement on the framework of demarcation is “fortified” because both sides, Lebanon and Israel, need it to succeed; and because of the US mediation and its commitment to play a positive role herein, under the banner of the United Nations.
In response to a question on the duration of talks, the international official said: “The talks duration is determined by their course. Preliminary meetings settled many matters, and there is a clear agreement between the two sides to have detailed and productive talks. Hence, I do not think that reaching the final agreement will take a long time.”
Replying to a question if talks got disrupted, he stated: “As I said, the agreement is secured internationally and by the United States. No party, whether Lebanon or Israel, can disrupt the agreement, not to mention that both sides are in dire need of it.”
He said Lebanon “needs this agreement to succeed more than Israel does, because it would open long-awaited horizons related to its oil and gas reserves essential for the country to steer out of its economic and financial crisis.”
"This agreement constitutes a stabilizing factor on both sides of the border between the two countries. It clearly reflects their will not to escalate or enter into confrontation,” the international official concluded.
The talks will be held at the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura under the banner of the United Nations.
The talks are expected to begin on Oct. 14, according to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East.
Israel and Lebanon have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war. They each claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea as within their own exclusive economic zones.
Indirect talks mean that Lebanese army negotiators will not be speaking directly to members of the Israeli delegation but through U.N. and U.S. officials.
Source: Naharnet
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