The UN welcomes the agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon on the maritime border and hopes that the agreement will contribute to greater stability in the region, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said.
"The secretary-general welcomes the announcements that the Governments of Lebanon and Israel have formally agreed to settle their maritime boundary dispute, as mediated by the United States. He firmly believes that this encouraging development can contribute to the stability of the region and the well-being of the Lebanese and Israeli peoples," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Antonio Guterres, said in a statement issued Friday.
The statement also noted that the UN is ready to assist the parties to the agreement "at their request."
Earlier, Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced his country's agreement to accept the final version of the maritime border demarcation agreement prepared by American mediator Amos Hochstein. In his speech, the head of state said the document meets the Arab country's demands and guarantees its rights to natural resources. Aoun said the completion of the negotiations would lay the groundwork for the recovery of the Lebanese economy, which has been in a prolonged crisis.
An Arab diplomatic source in Beirut told TASS on Monday that indirect Lebanese-Israeli contacts under US auspices could resume on October 20 in Ras al-Naqoura, where the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon is located. According to his information, the signing of the document will take place there after the remaining technical details are agreed upon on the spot.
Lebanon and Israel are disputing over an 856-square-kilometer area of the shelf, each side considers it part of its exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. The disputed area is located at the junction of Lebanon's Qana gas field and Israel's Karish field. The maritime boundary between the two neighboring countries, which have been formally at war since 1948, has not yet been established.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS