Beirut (Archyde.com)
Yesterday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said that there is more optimism than ever regarding reaching an agreement to demarcate the maritime borders with Israel through US mediation. Bou Habib said, according to a tweet on the ministry’s account on “Twitter”: “There has never been an optimism to the extent that exists today.” He indicated that the US official, who is mediating in the conflict, Amos Hochstein, will arrive in Beirut early next week, to hold talks with Lebanese officials and inform them of the Israeli response to the Lebanese proposal to demarcate the border. Lebanon and Israel are engaged in US-mediated negotiations to delineate a common maritime border, which would help determine each country’s oil and gas resources and pave the way for further exploration.
The Israeli Energy Ministry said that Hochstein met with Israeli negotiators last June, and briefed them on the results of his visit to Lebanon earlier that month.
