Lebanon Ready To Resume Maritime Border Demarcation Talks With Israel - President

Lebanon is ready to resume negotiations with Israel on maritime border demarcation, President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Lebanon is ready to resume negotiations with Israel on maritime border demarcation, President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday.

Aoun reaffirmed Beirut's willingness to continue talks during a meeting with US Ambassador in Lebanon Dorothy Shea.

"During the meeting, the issue of demarcation of the southern maritime borders was discussed. President Aoun reaffirmed Lebanese position on the resumption of negotiations based on the proposals that were presented (by Lebanon) at previous meetings," the presidential office said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.

Aoun and Shea also discussed bilateral US-Lebanese relations and the latest developments in the middle East. The president noted the importance of Beirut's relations with Washington within the framework of mutual understanding and mutual respect.

The US-mediated talks, launched in October, seek to resolve an overlap between the two rival nations' territorial waters and exclusive economic zones over an area of roughly 330 square miles that is situated over large oil and gas deposits beneath the Mediterranean seabed. By November, negotiations appeared to have hit an impasse after several rounds of talks as the sides reportedly presented contradicting border proposals. In line with an initiative put forward by the US, negotiations were delayed until further notice.

In early December, Aoun also said that Lebanon was ready to continue negotiations with Israel and hopes for their successful outcome.