The second round of US-backed talks to demarcate the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel will kick off later today Wednesday at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura under UN and US auspices.
Wednesday’s round was scheduled earlier this week but was postponed for “technical” reasons.
A third meeting is expected to take place on Thursday, according to the Israeli Energy Ministry.
It is worth mentioning that, the first meeting lasted no more than an hour, punctuated by the words of the United Nations Coordinator in Lebanon Jan Kubisch, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, the head of the Lebanese delegation, Brigadier General Bassam Yassin, and the head of the Israeli delegation.
The meeting was held in complete secrecy and away from the media, which were not allowed to approach the hall, as the meeting was held under the auspices of the United Nations and American mediation.
The Lebanese delegation objected to taking a memorial photo of the meeting.
Both Hezbollah and the Amal movement objected to the formation of the negotiating delegation because it includes civilians and is not limited to the military.
On its part, the Lebanese presidency announced Tuesday that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are not about an international treaty, normalization, or recognition of Israel.
Israeli officials said it was likely that an agreement would be reached on demarcating the maritime borders within weeks or months if the representatives of Lebanon arrived in a positive and practical approach.
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