Lebanese President Michel Aoun is willing to resume indirect negotiations with Israel on the two nations' maritime border, "in accordance with international laws," Aoun informed US mediator John Desrocher on Monday.
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"The US should pressure Israel to show up to continue negotiations, without preconditions," Aoun said. The last round of talks on an Israeli-Lebanese maritime border did not resume after the last round, which took place in early May, due to Lebanon's stance.
According to Aoun, Israel cannot "force its unilateral positions in the negotiations."
Aoun told Desrocher that "given the new government in Israel, I hope that your talks with Israeli officials will lead to positive results."
The negotiations have been at an effective impasse since April of this year, due to a decision by Beirut, under influence from the country's military to add 1,340 km (833 miles) to the maritime area under dispute with Israel.
Lebanon is hoping that an agreement on a maritime border with Israel will allow it to discover natural gas reserves in its own territorial waters. Natural gas would be a great boon to the country's economy, which is on the verge of total collapse.
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