The chief Lebanese negotiator, Elias Bou Saab, told Archyde.com on Wednesday that the US energy envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut next week, carrying a copy of the maritime border demarcation agreement with Israel to be signed by Lebanese officials.
The agreement, hailed by the three parties as a historic achievement, marks a huge diplomatic turning point following decades of war and hostility, and will open the door to energy exploration off the coasts of the two countries once it comes into force.
Bou Saab confirmed that Hochstein “is coming next week with the agreement that we will sign.” He did not say when the agreement would be signed.
The text, seen by Archyde.com, shows that the two sides independently informed Washington of the agreement. The United States will then send a notification to the parties that the agreement has entered into force, and then the two countries will send the coordinates of the demarcation of the new border to the United Nations.
But a traditional signing ceremony with the leaders of the two countries is unlikely given that Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war.
Hochstein said at a forum hosted by the Middle East Institute on Tuesday that he would visit the region next week, without specifying dates or destinations.
“The president of Lebanon and the prime minister of Israel will decide on the signing. Watch what happens in the next few days,” he added.
