Report: Lebanon and Israel agree on a format for indirect negotiations | Israel Today

Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper claims that Lebanon insists on including the issue of maritime borders in discussions on the land border with Israel

• "Israel and Lebanon agree to indirect negotiations"

  Photography: 

  Eyal Margolin - Ginny - Archive

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper reported today (Friday) that in early August, Lebanese parliament speaker Nabiya Berry announced in an interview with the Al-Nahar newspaper that "talks with the Americans on the issue of drawing southern borders are nearing completion."

Many interpreted things as out of place, as an agreement on drawing the southern border.

In reality, the agreement reached is on the framework under which the negotiations will take place.

Lebanon set the framework as a condition for negotiations, the most important of which is its refusal to separate the issue of the maritime border from the land border issue, and to conduct direct negotiations with Israel. This is contrary to the aspirations of the United States and Israel published in the media.

According to knowledgeable sources quoted in the paper, the agreement reached between Lebanon and the United States and still requiring Israel's consent before it is announced, explicitly requires that the talks be a direct continuation of the April 1996 committee, and the tripartite meetings between UNIFIL, Lebanese army and IDF.

According to the proposed outline, the meetings will be held at the UNIFIL office on the Lebanese border near Rosh Hanikra, under the auspices of the UN and in the presence of a US representative as mediator. "On the one hand and the US representative on the other. During all this time, Lebanese army officers will not speak directly to IDF officers, but through the mediators.