Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a framework for US-mediated talks aimed at ending a long-running dispute over their maritime border.
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Lebanon and Israel, still in a formal state of war, have contested their land and maritime borders for decades, including an area on the edge of three Lebanese energy blocks. Washington been mediating in efforts to bring the two sides to the table.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the framework for talks had been agreed after US sanctions were imposed on his right-hand man for corruption and financially enabling Hezbollah, the heavily armed terrorist group, Iran-backed.
He said the United States would push for an agreement as soon as possible, but told reporters the agreement on a framework was reached prior to Washington's move to impose sanctions on his aide, Ali Hassan Khalil.
"This is a framework agreement, and not a final one," Berri told a news conference, saying discussions would be held under the auspices of the United Nations in a base near the UN-monitored boundary with Israel, known as the Blue Line.
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz confirmed on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon will hold US-mediated talks to end a long-running maritime border dispute between the two nations that are formally at war.
In a statement, Steinitz said the talks were expected to take place after the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which ends on Oct. 9.
Lebanon's change of tack has come when the country is facing a crippling crisis as its economy has been crushed under a mountain of debt. The crisis was compounded by a massive port explosion that ruined a swathe of Beirut on Aug. 4.
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