Lebanon’s caretaker public works and transport minister announced that he contracted a document escalating Lebanon’s assertions in its maritime border disagreement with Israel.
The alteration proclaimed on Monday added around 1,400sq km (540 square miles) to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claimed by Lebanon in its original submission to the United Nations.
The document now requires signatures from Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate, Minister of Defense, and President ahead of being submitted to the United Nations for a formal claim to disclose the new coordinates for the area.
“I expect it will be signed by everyone as the Minister of Defense as well as the Prime Minister-designate and the President are concerned about this issue”, Minister of Transport Michel Najjar stated in a news conference.
“We will not give up any inch of our homeland or a drop of its waters or an inch of its dignity.”
Dialogues amid old antagonists Lebanon and Israel were propelled in October while trying to solve the dispute about their maritime border, which has stalled hydrocarbon explorations in the potentially gas-rich area.
The discussions were the first non-security talks to be held between the two nations, which have no diplomatic relations following 10 years of conflict. Solving the boundary matter could overlay the way for worthwhile oil and gas deals on both sides.
