Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said Friday that the talks on demarcating Lebanon maritime and land borders with Israel are in Lebanon’s best interest, stressing that Lebanon will not concede any rights to its territory.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Lebanon and Israel are close to establishing a framework for negotiations on demarcating the countries’ land and maritime borders, which would have an impact on offshore oil and gas exploration.
In a statement, the ministry said the form of negotiations to be held under United Nations auspices and the role of each of the concerned parties was still being worked out. The purported negotiations are to be overseen by Washington, which has been mediating between the countries.
The statement came after a meeting Tuesday between Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield. He has been shuttling between Israel and Lebanon to mediate in the border dispute.