BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2020) The second round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on the demarcation of a maritime border is scheduled to be held on October 28, a source close to the Lebanese military told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the first round of US-mediated indirect talks over the disputed sea border took place under the auspices of the United Nations at its headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura.
"[The parties have had] a protocol and exploratory meeting. The second session will be held on October 28," the source said.
According to the source, the Lebanese delegation is now heading from the UN office to the headquarters of the Lebanese army command and then will meet with President Michel Aoun to provide him with a report on the first round of negotiations.
The source added that representatives of the Lebanese negotiating team refused to participate in a joint photo session with Israeli officials after the talks.
"The Lebanese side refused to take part in an official photo shoot despite the insistence of the Americans and the Israelis. They were satisfied with informal photos," the source said.
The negotiations seek to resolve an overlap between the two rivaling nations' territorial waters and exclusive economic zones by an area of roughly 330 square miles, which is situated over large oil and gas deposits beneath the Mediterranean seabed.
