BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2021) Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday signed a bill on the demarcation of maritime borders that would allow Beirut to claim an extra 1,430 square kilometers (552 square miles) of the exclusive economic zone in its dispute with Israel.
Earlier in the day, Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Michel Najjar approved an amendment to the decree on the demarcation of maritime borders that would expand the country's claim in the maritime dispute with Israel.
"Prime Minister Hassan Diab has signed a bill on amendments to Decree 6433 of October 1, 2011, after they were initialed by Minister of Public Works and Transport Michel Najjar and Defense Minister Zeina Akar, to obtain consent of the president of the country," the office said.
In October, Lebanon and Israel entered US-mediated indirect talks on the demarcation of maritime borders. The negotiations hit a deadlock after Beirut sought to expand claims to an additional 1,430 square kilometers on top of the already disputed 860 square kilometers of the potentially gas-rich area.
