US to send mediation team for Israel-Lebanon maritime talks next week
The resumption of talks, which stalled in November, could unlock significant economic benefits for debt-ridden Lebanon.
The United States will send a delegation next week to mediate resumed maritime border talks between Israel and Lebanon aimed at resolving a dispute over potentially lucrative oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
A US mediating team led by Ambassador John P. Desrocher will travel to Lebanon on Monday, according to a statement from the State Department. The talks between representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli governments are due to resume on Tuesday.
Axios reports the negotiations will take place in the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura where the United Nations peacekeeping force is headquartered near the Israeli border.
“The U.S. welcomes the resumption of the Israel-Lebanon maritime talks,” State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted on Friday. “We are committed to mediating and facilitating negotiations at the request of both countries as they work toward an agreement benefiting Lebanese and Israeli citizens.”
