Lebanon, Israel in second round of maritime border talks

NAQURA, Lebanon: Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war and with no diplomatic ties, launched a second round of maritime border talks yesterday under United Nations and the United States auspices to allow for offshore energy exploration.

The talks, expected to last for two days, were being held at a base of the UN peacekeeping force Unifil in the Lebanese border town of Naqura, guarded by army roadblocks and with UN helicopters circling above.

A er years of quiet US shu le diplomacy, Lebanon and Israel this month said they had agreed to begin the negotiations in what Washington hailed as a “historic” agreement.

The announcement came weeks a er Bahrain and UAE became the first Arab nations to establish relations with Israel since Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Lebanon – which last saw military clashes with Israel in 2006 – insists that the negotiations are purely technical and don’t involve any so political normalisation with Israel.

“Today’s session is the first technical session,” said Laury Haytayan, a Lebanese energy expert who said she expected “detailed discussions on demarcation”.

Talks later wrapped up and were set to resume at 10 am Thursday, the National News Agency reported.

Lebanon, mired in its worst economic crisis since the 19751990 civil war, is looking to se le the maritime border dispute so it can press on with its offshore quest for oil and gas.

The search for hydrocarbons has already heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean following repeated Turkish exploration and drilling operations in waters claimed by both Cyprus and Greece.

In February 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract for drilling in two blocks in the Mediterranean with a consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek.

Exploration of one of the blocks is more controversial as part of it is located in an 860square-kilometre area claimed by both Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon is expected to adopt a “maximalist approach,” said Haytayan.

The energy expert explained that Lebanese negotiators will likely try to claim areas that fall beyond the disputed zone, including parts of the Karish gas field currently operated by Israel, she told AFP.

“We have to wait to see the reaction of the Israelis,” she said. — AFP