Lebanon-Israel: progress on the border line

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2 min

The Lebanese president has refrained from criticizing the agreement on the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, a country with which Lebanon has been technically at war since 1948. Michel Aoun's nuanced position comes as the number three from the US State Department, David Hale, was in Beirut to discuss, among other things, the border line between Lebanon and Israel.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh.

Asked by BFMTV on the possibility of a Lebanese-Israeli peace, Michel Aoun replied: “  It depends. We have problems with Israel , they must be resolved first.  These problems include in particular the occupation by the Israeli army of the farms of Shebaa , on the borders of Lebanon, Israel and Syria, but also the drawing of the maritime and land borders between the country of the cedar and the State. Hebrew.

On August 6, two days after the double explosion in Beirut , the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berry, said that negotiations on the demarcation of the maritime borders with Israel were about to be concluded.

Concessions on both sides

These talks are taking place in an indirect way through an American mediation, led by the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs, David Hale, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday evening. On this issue, the stakes are high because the dispute between Lebanon and Israel essentially concerns a maritime area rich in hydrocarbons.

One of the objectives of David Hale's visit to Beirut was to finalize the details of an agreement to settle this dispute. Israel would have made concessions in terms of the land route and, in return, Lebanon would have lowered its demands at sea.

Another point, Michel Aoun has also avoided criticizing the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, unlike his ally, the head of Hezbollah. “  It is a betrayal of Jerusalem and the Palestinian people. It's a stab in the back,  “Hassan Nasrallah reacted on Friday.

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• Lebanon
• Michel Aoun
• Israel

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