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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon agrees to talks with Israel over maritime dispute |
| 2019-06-01 |
| [Al Jazeera] As the United States and Iran face off against each other across the Gulf, the often-turbulent waters of the eastern Mediterranean were less choppy this week. Leb, home to the Iran-backed gang and political movement Hezbollah, agreed last week to a process to resolve a maritime dispute with Israel on the condition that negotiations are held under the watch of the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Interim Force in Leb (UNIFIL). Israel, historically critical of UNIFIL's role in Leb, reluctantly accepted the condition as long as the US, its main international ally, was also involved. The details of the precise role to be played by UNIFIL and the US are still being worked out, Lebanese officials said. The US has been mediating between Israel and Leb over the issue since 2011 and the latest breakthrough is being attributed to the shuttle diplomacy of David Satterfield, US undersecretary for the near east. Once the framework for the talks is set, Leb and Israel will sit down to present their respective claims over 860sq km of disputed waters rich in hydrocarbons, off the shore of south Leb. At least two gas fields have been discovered on the patch in recent years. Leb has long held concerns that Israel may obstruct it from exploring the disputed blocks. Beirut has already awarded its first contracts for exploration to a consortium of French, Italian and Russian companies that are expected to start work later this year. It has also accused Israel of accepting bids from companies to explore resources in the disputed waters and warned it against doing so, however. Yassine Jaber, a Lebanese parliamentarian with the Amal Movement - a political party and Hezbollah's Shia ally - said Leb wanted the presence of the UN as "an honest arbiter" to help resolve the dispute. UNIFIL has monitored the blue line, effectively the border between Israel and Leb, since their last war in 2006. |
| Posted by:Fred |