US Offers Lebanon, Israel to Meditate in Maritime Negotiations Again

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his country's readiness to mediate in negotiations between Lebanon and Israel regarding the demarcation of their maritime borders, after the negotiations that started 3 months ago faltered.

Pompeo tweeted on his account that "The United States is still ready to mediate constructive negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese governments regarding their maritime borders."

Pompeo continued that "Unfortunately, despite the good intentions of both sides, they can not reach an amicable agreement to settle such dispute."

The US Secretary of State added: "We encourage the two parties to continue discussions based on the lawsuits related to them, which they submitted earlier to the United Nations."

Negotiations began in early October between Israel and Lebanon under the auspices of the United States, but they stalled.

On the twentieth of last month, Tel Aviv accused Beirut of repeatedly changing its position on the delineation of the maritime borders.

On the other hand, Israel warned that this matter could lead to a dead end, which would slow down the exploration of marine hydrocarbon resources in the region.

The negotiations are including a  marine area of about 860 square kilometers, according to a map sent to the United Nations in 2011, but the Lebanese government later considered it based on incorrect estimates.