The maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon is paving the way for negotiations on establishing a land border, US Senior Adviser for Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein said on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2023) The maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon is paving the way for negotiations on establishing a land border, US Senior Adviser for Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein said on Wednesday.
"I believe it does," Hochstein said during a discussion at the United States Institute of Peace when asked whether the Israeli-Lebanese maritime deal paves the way to a land border negotiations.
At the same time, Hochstein said he believes the conditions on the ground in Lebanon are not conducive for negotiations on a land border since there is no permanent government in the country.
With respect to Israel, Hochstein said the newly established government there is preoccupied at present with other issues.
On October 11, 2022, Lebanon and Israel reached a deal on a US-mediated draft agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border, thus ending a decades-old dispute. The deal has opened the way for offshore oil and gas exploration.
