Senior US official to visit Lebanon to restart Israel maritime border talks
Senior US official to visit Lebanon to restart Israel maritime border talks
Lebanon and Israel are in dispute over a region of 860 square kilometres in the Mediterranean Sea which is abundant in oil and natural gas.
1 min read
Amos Hochstein (left) has met with Nabih Berri on previous occasions [AFP/Getty-archive]
A senior official is set to visit Lebanon within oneÌýweekÌýto help restartÌýnegotiations on Beirut's with .
Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliamentary speaker, said that US senior energy security adviser Amos Hochstein's would visit the country while speaking to the Press Syndicate Council on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.
"It is assumed the negotiations will resume and that the framework of agreement will be adhered [to]," Berri said.
Lebanon and IsraelÌýare deadlocked over a region of 860 square kilometres in the Mediterranean Sea which is abundant in oil and natural gas.
Despite four rounds of hosted with American and United Nations assistance, no agreement has been reached.
Lebanon's Berri called on French energy giant Total to begin work in locations not subject to any sovereignty disagreement.
Beirut in 2018 reached exploration deals with Total, in addition to Russia's Novatek firm and Italy's Eni, though the work was never finished.
Natural resource extraction would provide aÌýmuch-needed financial boost to Lebanon,Ìýwhich is suffering from an Ìýthat has plunged most of the population into poverty.
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