Israel-lebanon maritime border talks postponed
The two countries have engaged in indirect, US-mediated talks to draw a sea border; negotiations are the first non-security related talks between the two states
Talks between Israel and Lebanon over disputed maritime borders that were scheduled to take place this week have been postponed, Israeli and Lebanese officials said on Monday.
The two countries have engaged in indirect, Us-mediated talks to draw a sea border, despite formally being in a state of war.
The last round of talks were held in November and hosted in by the United Nations in a southern Lebanese border town.
The negotiations are the first non-security related talks between the two states.
An Israeli official confirmed that Wednesday’s scheduled summit was postponed, and said the American mediators “decided to focus on dialogue between the two sides at the moment, in order to prepare the ground for the next round of talks.”
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as the official wasn’t authorised to speak to journalists.
In Beirut, a Lebanese official confirmed that the talks have been postponed until further notice.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, did not give a reason for the postponement and also did not elaborate.
The sides are negotiating their disputed maritime borders that involve potentially lucrative offshore oil and gas deals.
Israel has already developed offshore natural gas rigs in its economic waters, and has started producing enough for domestic consumption and export abroad.
Lebanon hopes that oil and gas discoveries in its Mediterranean Sea waters could help alleviate its economic and financial crises.
“We were officially informed of the postponing of the indirect round of negotiations,” a military official told AFP, adding that the request was made by the US, which has been brokering the negotiations.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that a separate Us-lebanese meeting would be held instead and that the “search for common ground” would continue.
Israel and Lebanon opened negotiations on the border dispute under US and UN auspices in October to clear the way for offshore oil and gas exploration.
“Lebanon has changed its stance on its maritime border with Israel seven times,” Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on November 19, complaining that Beirut’s latest position contradicted its previous one.
Israel and Lebanon have been negotiating based on a map registered with the United Nations in 2011, which shows an 860-square-kilometre patch of sea as being disputed.
But Lebanon considers that map to have been based on wrong estimates and now demands an additional 1,430 square kilometres of sea further south, which includes part of Israel’s Karish gas field, according to Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan.
Lebanon is from Monday to gradually ease restrictions imposed two weeks ago ater a surge in coronavirus infections, in a bid to relieve its struggling economy in time for the festive season, officials said.
Acting health minister Hamad Hassan told reporters the country “will gradually reopen from Monday” to give citizens and businesses a respite ahead of Christmas and end of year holidays.
He said restaurants will reopen at 50 per cent capacity, but bars and nightclubs will remain closed and weddings prohibited, while an overnight curfew will start from 11 pm instead of 5pm.
Schools would also reopen but with some classes still held online, Hassan said ater a meeting of Lebanon’s coronavirus task force.
He warned that the “danger” of a rise in infections still exists and that the hoped-for results to stem the virus thanks to the curbs would not be known for several days.
Before the two-week restrictions went into force in mid-november, bed occupancy in hospital intensive care units was between 80 and 90 per cent while “now it stands at 65-70 per cent,” Hassan said.
Since February, the country has recorded more than 125,000 Covid-19 cases, including around 1,000 deaths.
Lebanon, with a population of around six million, had been recording some 11,000 coronavirus infections on average each week before mid-november, according to the health ministry.