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Israel, Lebanon agree to resume border talks in November

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One study in 2008 pointed out that the Lebanese government would bring a return of almost $8 billion annually from first oil or gas discovery to the next 20 years,

 Israel and Lebanon held “productive” talks over their disputed Mediterranean Sea border on Thursday and agreed to meet again next month, the United Nations and the United States said.

Thursday’s meeting was the third this month between the longtime foes, mediated by the United States and hosted by the United Nations at a base in southern Lebanon.

The meetings are the culmination of three years of diplomacy by Washington, and follow a series of deals under which three Arab nations – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan – agreed to establish full relations with Israel.

Lebanon has said its talks are strictly limited to their disputed boundary which lies in an area of potentially gas-rich Mediterranean water.

On Wednesday the two sides presented contrasting maps outlining proposed borders that actually increased the size of the disputed area, sources said.

Lebanon oill , gas reserves. BLOCK 9 is shown entirely within the Lebanese maritime border , while Israel insists on having a share in it

The Lebanese proposal extended farther south than the border Lebanon previously presented to the United Nations, according to a Lebanese security source. The Israeli map pushed the boundary farther north than Israel’s original position, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

Exploration of one of the blocks (9) is controversial since part of it is located in an 860-square-kilometer (330-square-mile) area ( orange color) claimed by both Israel and Lebanon.

“Representatives from the governments of Israel and Lebanon held productive talks mediated by the United States and hosted by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon,” the joint U.S.-UN statement said. “The parties committed to continue negotiations next month.”

A senior Lebanese source said the two sides would meet again on Nov. 11.

REUTERS

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3 responses to “Israel, Lebanon agree to resume border talks in November”

  1. vs Avatar
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    (Lebanon – a bandit state) The third round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will take place in November, despite the new claims put forward by the Lebanese side for additional territory, the correspondent of the state television and radio broadcasting Kan Roi Qays reports.

    Quoting sources involved in the negotiation process, Qays said the chances of the negotiations being successful are low, as Lebanon presented a map in the negotiations that was markedly different from the one it presented in a previous negotiation attempt in 2010.

    On this map, the border, which the Lebanese side insists on, runs much further south. The Israeli side presented its map, on which the border lies within the disputed territory, and called on Lebanon to abandon the provocation and return to the original map.

    Recall that, according to previous reports from the negotiations, the Lebanese side not only did not express readiness for a compromise in the negotiations on 860 square kilometers of the disputed territory, but surprised the Israeli side by putting forward claims for additional territory of 1.460 square kilometers.

    Lebanese officials insist that Thelet Island, opposite Rosh HaNikra, should not be taken into account when defining borders, as it is uninhabited. The new requirements mean that Lebanon is laying claim to Israel’s Karish gas field and block 72, which has not yet been explored.

    Even before the start of the talks, the leadership of the Israeli Energy Ministry emphasized that the talks would go on only if Lebanon was willing to compromise. Otherwise, they will be terminated immediately.

  2. vs Avatar
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    Energy Ministry Director General Udi Adiri, who leads the Israeli delegation to negotiations with Lebanon, said that he had received an order from the political leadership not to conduct any negotiations on the new territorial claims put forward by the Lebanese side.

    The corresponding notification was sent to Adiri CEO of the Greek energy company Energean Shaul Tsemakh.

    Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are designed to resolve the dispute over 860 square kilometers of disputed territory. The negotiating mandate is limited to the territory to which Lebanon made claims in 2010 in its appeal to the UN.

    However, during the second round of negotiations, Lebanon presented a map in the negotiations that was markedly different from the one it presented during the previous negotiation attempt in 2010.

    On this map, the border, which the Lebanese side insists on, runs much further south and covers an additional area of ​​1,460 square kilometers, which includes Israel’s Karish gas field and block 72, which has yet to be explored.

    The Lebanese representatives explain their demands by the fact that Thelet island, located opposite Rosh HaNikra, should not be taken into account when determining the borders, since it is uninhabited

  3. vs Avatar
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    Contrary to previous media reports, Lebanon’s additional claims to the Israeli portion of Lebanon’s exclusive economic zone did not come as a surprise to the Israeli negotiating group.

    According to the Israel HaYom newspaper, in preparation for the talks, Israel prepared two versions of counter demands in response to the provocation from Lebanon, preparing legal arguments for them.

    As a result, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz chose the less aggressive of the two claims to a part of Lebanon’s exclusive economic waters to present to the Lebanese side. The Israeli side made it clear that it does not intend to actually fight for additional territories, and that the purpose of making claims is to show the Lebanese side that Israel also knows how to play such games.

    At the same time, Israel stressed that no negotiations on the territories south of the borders indicated by Lebanon in the UN maps in 2010 will be held

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