Second Round of Maritime Border Demarcation Negotiations Concluded

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon and the “Israeli” entity concluded the second round – which was held on Wednesday and Thursday – of indirect talks over border demarcations Thursday at a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL] base in south Lebanon.

The next round of negotiations is set to be held on Nov. 11, local media reported.

The 2-day talks began at 10 a.m. and were expected to last until 12 p.m. but did not finish until around 2 p.m.

The two sides held talks that delved into the technicalities of the maritime border delineation Wednesday, during which Lebanon presented a new maximalist stance adding an additional 1,430 square kilometers to its claim as part of Lebanese territory, on top of the already disputed 860 square kilometer area that both sides say is in their respective Exclusive Economic Zone and brings what is now an Israeli gas field into disputed territory.

Representing Lebanon is a mixed civilian-military delegation, headed by Navy Col. Mazen Basbous.

The indirect talks are held under the auspices of the UN and US, who said in a statement later Thursday that they “remain hopeful that these negotiations will lead to long-awaited resolution”.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who announced earlier this month that Lebanon had finally reached an agreement to hold the talks, Wednesday reiterated that these negotiations did not mean normalization of relations with the “Israeli” entity would follow.