BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Lebanon will not accept a maritime demarcation plan that gives the country an area less than 860 square km in the disputed area with the Zionist regime, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib says.
“We want to protect our interests in this area rich in natural gas and the most important thing for Lebanon is to start oil and gas exploration,” the Lebanese minister was quoted as saying by al-Jadeed TV.
Bou Habib said that the 860 square km area offered by Line 23 is very important as it achieves Lebanon’s interests while the Frederick Hoff line previously suggested by the United States was rejected by Lebanese authorities as it only gives Lebanon 490 square km in the disputed area.
U.S. Envoy Amos Hochstein visited Lebanon earlier in February to hold negotiations with Lebanese officials on border demarcation but no final deal was made about the line that will be adopted in demarcation.
“There was a verbal offer and not a written one from the American mediator, but Hochstein’s latest offer was more acceptable and positive compared to previous demarcation suggestions,” Bou Habib said, adding that negotiations are still going on.
The Hezbollah resistance movement has warned Lebanese authorities of Washington’s attempts to push Beirut to establish formal relations with the Zionist regime during indirect U.S.-mediated talks over their maritime dispute to allow for offshore energy exploration.
“In light of recent developments concerning maritime demarcation talks, indication is that American mediators are trying to impose a fait accompli in the hope that it would open up the window of normalization with Israel,” the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, the political wing of Hezbollah in the Lebanese parliament, said in a statement on Thursday.
It added that the Beirut government is fully responsible for indirect talks with the Zionist regime to discuss demarcation.
“Nevertheless, the national duty of the government requires it to urge relevant authorities to exercise increased vigilance in order to avoid hidden traps. Normalization with the Zionist regime is completely rejected and not acceptable under any pretext,” the statement pointed out.
Earlier this month, Vice President of the Executive Council of Hezbollah Sheikh Ali Damoush stressed that U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanon and the occupying regime regarding a dispute over their Mediterranean Sea will not result in normalization with the occupying regime.
Addressing worshipers during a sermon on February 11, Sheikh Damoush underscored that the Lebanese representatives must never accept U.S. initiatives that would not conform to Lebanon’s rights.