MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2020) The resolution of the standing maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel is subject to the Israeli side's adherence to an agreed-upon framework, General Director of the Lebanese Economic and Social Council Mohammad Saifeddine told Sputnik.
"It all depends on the extent to which the entity (Israel) will adhere to the framework that they agreed upon with the United States, and on the extent to which they are willing to resolve this issue," Saifeddine said.
The two de-jure warring countries announced the long-awaited negotiations under US mediation earlier in October, aiming to resolve a lingering border dispute over a 330 square mile stretch of territorial waters covering large fossil fuel deposits beneath the seabed, estimated at 865 million barrels of oil and 96 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The talks hit a deadlock in November, as the two sides were unable to reach an agreement after four rounds of negotiations, with officials from both sides blaming the other for the impasse and putting the negotiations on hold until further notice.
