Progress reported on disputed land border with Israel but not maritime border , report

BEIRUT, Lebanon Progress has been made over the land border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, a western diplomat was quoted as saying by a local daily Tuesday.

Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed by United States envoy David Satterfield that progress was made “on the row over the 13 disputed land border points ” , a western diplomat was quoted as saying by a Lebanese media Tuesday. However, the maritime border dispute is still being held up and no progress has been made. “This issue awaits the results of the parliamentary elections and formation of a new government,” Annahar quoted the diplomat as saying. The meeting between Hariri and Satterfield, held on the sidelines of the Rome II conference on March 15, was “positive,” the diplomat said.

Lebanon has made it clear to Satterfield that if Israel wants to build a cement wall inside the occupied Palestinian territory, it has no objections. But Lebanon rejects the building of the Israeli wall on a number of disputed border points along the Blue Line because this will give Israel the precedence to occupy part of Block 8 or 9, which are marked on the maritime map for future oil and gas exploration.

Satterfield has been mediating in the maritime dispute over Block 9 in south Lebanon after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said earlier this year that oil and gas exploration projects in the block were “very provocative.”