Beirut: Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon aims to reach an agreement on maritime border demarcation with Israel that would guarantee the country’s right to invest in its natural resources, according to a statement by Lebanon’s Presidency.
“Lebanon looks forward to resuming indirect US-mediated negotiations with Israel to reach a deal that would allow us to benefit from our oil and gas resources,” Xinhua news agency quoted Aoun as saying during his meeting with a delegation from the US Congress.
Meanwhile, US Congressman Darrell Issa conveyed to Aoun the US keenness to continue providing aid to Lebanon’s military institutions.
“Members of the US Congress are interested in reviving Lebanon’s economy and to ensure the regular work of institutions while enabling Lebanon to make use of its natural resources to revive its economy and reduce the emigration of its youths,” he said.
Lebanon and Israel started negotiations through a US mediator in October 2020 at the base of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon’s Naqoura but the talks stalled soon.
Crisis-hit Lebanon is in dire need of finding commercial gas reserves in its own waters.