US, UN Hopeful Of Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Deal After Latest 'Productive' Talks

The United Nations and the United States hope that Israel and Lebanon will reach a maritime border agreement after the latest round of productive talks, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the US government said in a statement on Thursday

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) The United Nations and the United States hope that Israel and Lebanon will reach a maritime border agreement after the latest round of productive talks, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the US government said in a statement on Thursday.

"Building on progress from their October 14 meeting, on October 28 and 29 representatives from the governments of Israel and Lebanon held productive talks mediated by the United States and hosted by the UNSCOL," the statement said. "The United States and UNSCOL remain hopeful that these negotiations will lead to a long-awaited resolution."

UNSCOL added that the parties committed to continuing the negotiations in November.

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli official told Sputnik that the two countries' delegations finished the second round of indirect talks on the demarcation of the disputed maritime border. The first meeting within the second negotiating session took place on Wednesday. The US-mediated negotiations have been held under the auspices of the United Nations in Lebanon's southern town of Naqoura.

The negotiations are set to resolve a long-standing maritime border dispute that concerns a stretch of maritime territory home to large oil and natural gas deposits.