[ad_1]
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Lebanon had approved the U.S. to mediate a maritime border agreement with Israel.
Lebanon and Israel both claim about 330 square miles of the Mediterranean Sea, where offshore gas fields are located.
The agreement to delineate the maritime border, reached after months of mediation by senior U.S. official Amos Hochstein, will mark a major breakthrough in the relationship between the two countries, which has been in a relationship since the founding of Israel in 1948. has been at war.
“This indirect agreement responds to Lebanon’s demands and upholds all our rights,” Mr Aoun said in a televised address.
He made the announcement hours after meeting caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berry, who received a copy of Mr Hochstein’s latest draft agreement earlier this week.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the two countries had agreed to an “official” end to the maritime border dispute, with both leaders telling him they were ready to take the next step.
The Israeli cabinet voted with an “overwhelming majority” of ministers on Wednesday in favor of a deal brokered by the United States. The agreement will be presented to parliament or parliament for a two-week review period before a final cabinet vote.
Lebanon hopes the delineation of a maritime border will pave the way for gas exploration to help it emerge from a severe economic crisis.
“I hope the conclusion of these negotiations is a promising start, laying the foundation stone for the economic growth that Lebanon needs through the extraction of oil and gas,” Mr Aoun said. “This will increase the stability, security and development our country, Lebanon, needs.”
At the same time, Israel also wants to develop gas reserves and hopes the deal will reduce the risk of war with Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The agreement stipulates that the disputed waters will be divided along a line across the “Qana” gas field. Gas production will be based on the Lebanese side, but Israel will be compensated for gas extracted from its pipeline side.
Lebanon has been working with French energy giant Total as it prepares to explore the field.
[ad_2]
Source link