The sixth negotiation session between Lebanon and Israel over maritime border demarcation has once again been postponed indefinitely.
The postponement of the latest session, which was due on Wednesday in South Lebanon, was the result of preconditions set by Israel that Lebanon rejected, according to Al-Jadeed.
The Lebanese negotiating delegation, headed by Lebanese Army Air Force Brig. Gen. Bassam Yassin, reportedly refused to attend the Wednesday meeting in Naqoura due to the Israeli preconditions for limiting negotiations to an area of 860 square kilometers.
The fifth border talks session had taken place a day prior, months after Lebanon and Israel reached a dead-end in the talks due to disagreements over the disputed area.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said in a statement after the Tuesday session that he had asked the Lebanese delegation to not continue negotiation in the presence of any preconditions.
He stressed the importance of “adopting international law, which remains the basis for ensuring the continuation of negotiations to reach a just and fair solution that Lebanon wants, in order to preserve the highest national interest and stability, and the rights of the Lebanese to invest their wealth.”
In November 2020, the U.S.-mediated talks were postponed until further notice, sometime after President Aoun announced Lebanon’s starting point for the demarcation.
