US President Joe Biden said that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Lebanese President Michel Aoun confirmed the two governments' readiness to move forward with the maritime border demarcation agreement between the two sides, which he described as a "historic breakthrough."
Biden added - in a statement that followed his contact with Aoun and Lapid separately - that the two parties must fulfill their obligations and work to implement the agreement, stressing that energy in the eastern Mediterranean should be a tool for cooperation, stability and security, and not for conflict.
Today, Tuesday, the Lebanese president received a call from his American counterpart, in which he congratulated him on the conclusion of negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders with Israel, after mediation by Washington that lasted for months.
A statement issued by the Lebanese presidency said that the US president affirmed Washington's support for Beirut to achieve stability and benefit from natural resources.
Under the new agreement, the Karish field will be completely on the Israeli side, while the agreement will guarantee Lebanon the Qana field, which goes beyond the demarcation line separating the two parties.
The Lebanese presidency considered that the final version of the American offer was "satisfactory and preserved Lebanon's rights to its natural wealth," expressing its hope that the maritime border demarcation agreement with Israel would be announced as soon as possible.
uniform position
The Lebanese presidency said that President Aoun will hold the necessary consultations on this issue in preparation for an official announcement of the unified position on the agreement.
In statements to Al Jazeera, Energy Minister Walid Fayyad told Al Jazeera, "The stability we will enjoy and the reinvestment in gas fields will restore confidence" in Lebanon.
The minister added that the Qana field constitutes a great economic value for Lebanon, noting that the American mediator played a role in overcoming the obstacles regarding the border demarcation agreement.
"We do not see any obstacles to the implementation of the demarcation agreement and we got everything we asked for," Fayyad said, noting that a high-ranking Total delegation visiting the country had expressed its commitment to expedite the exploration operations.
excavation work
In the developments, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday asked the French company Total to immediately start the executive procedures for exploration in Lebanese waters, following Israel's announcement that it had reached an agreement to demarcate the maritime borders.
Yesterday, Mikati and Fayyad met with a delegation from the French company Total, which in 2018, along with two other companies, obtained a license to explore two out of ten Lebanese blocks.
During the meeting, Mikati, according to a statement issued by his office, asked "Total representatives to immediately take the executive procedures for exploration in Lebanese waters."
In turn, Fayyad said that starting and implementing the excavation work is a process that takes time in addition to preparing the engineering issues, adding, "Logistics matters need time, but the work will start immediately."
contact with lapid
On the other hand, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that Biden spoke with Lapid and congratulated him on reaching an agreement demarcating the maritime borders with Lebanon.
The Prime Minister had announced that a "historic" agreement had been reached to demarcate the maritime borders with Lebanon.
Lapid said that the cabinet will meet tomorrow to ratify the agreement on the demarcation of the water borders with Lebanon.
For his part, a senior US official confirmed that the agreement between Lebanon and Israel occurred in recent weeks after hard work, noting that the two sides affirmed their commitment to fulfilling the agreement and taking steps to implement it.
Israel's security
This American official said - in statements to Al Jazeera - that the agreement on demarcating the maritime borders with Lebanon enhances Israel's security, adding that the agreement will provide Beirut with major investments in several areas, most notably the field of energy.
He added that the agreement guarantees the best conditions in favor of Lebanon and Israel and provides security guarantees and economic gains, stressing that the negotiations were with the Lebanese government and not with Hezbollah.
The US official confirmed that his country is ready to mediate on any future disputes regarding the implementation of the border demarcation agreement.
Since the beginning of June, developments related to the file have accelerated after a pause for months due to disputes over the disputed area.
After meetings and shuttle contacts between the two parties, the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, made his last offer during the past few days.
The Lebanese authorities are counting on the presence of oil reserves that will help the country to overcome the catastrophic repercussions of the prolonged economic collapse for nearly 3 years.
Block No. 9 - where the Qana field is located - will constitute a major area for exploration by Total and Eni, which obtained in 2018 with a Russian company contracts to explore for oil and gas, before the latter withdrew this year.
Elias Abu Saab, the deputy speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, in charge of the negotiations file, said that his country "will obtain all its rights from the Qana field," noting that "there is no partnership between Lebanon and Israel with the wealth of the Qana field."