Hochstein says Lebanese proposals 'will enable negotiations to go forward'

U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein has confirmed that what he heard from Lebanese officials in his meetings with them on Tuesday will enable the sea border negotiations with Israel to “go forward.”

“The good news is that I heard a lot more unanimity, a lot more unity of message (and) serious preparation for the visit,” Hochstein said in an interview with al-Hurra TV.

“They shared some ideas of how to continue the negotiations, the basis for which to continue the negotiations and to take it a step forward,” he added.

Hochstein also noted that he sensed a “clear understanding” that the economic crisis in Lebanon “needs to be solved,” adding that “resolving the maritime dispute is really a critical and important step to resolving this economic crisis and to beginning the pathway towards recovery and growth.”

“Therefore, this was a very serious attempt to look at options of moving forward with the idea that we need to be in a position of compromise and creative thinking,” the U.S. envoy went on to say.

Asked whether he presented any new suggestions to Lebanese officials, Hochstein said he visited Lebanon to listen to the reaction to the “proposals and points” he had raised in his previous visit to Lebanon.

As for Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil’s so-called “Karish for Qana” equation, the U.S. envoy said: “I think the Lebanese government has taken a very strong step forward today by presenting a more united approach… I don’t think it’s about slogans, it’s about what kind of compromise can we reach that the Israelis can agree to and not feel that it is being pushed into something against their interest, while still preserving the most important part of Lebanon’s interests.”

“It’s not about one formula or another, it’s about what works,” Hochstein clarified.