Lebanese President Michel Aoun stressed on Monday that it is out of the question to waive Lebanon’s rights to invest its gas and oil wealth.
In two separate meetings with the United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon Joanna Wronecka and a parliamentary delegation, President Aoun presented the stages of the indirect negotiations process with the Zionist entity to demarcate the southern maritime border and the difficulties faced and led to suspension.
He said that the talks that will take place with the US energy envoy mediating the negotiations Amos Hochstein will tackle Lebanon’s position on the resumption of indirect negotiations with Israel, which were halted after the Israeli enemy rejected the Lebanese proposal considering Line 29 as a negotiating line and after the Lebanese side rejected the Israeli Line No. 1 and the Hof Line.
President Aoun expressed his hope that the talks with Hochstein will move the negotiations forward, pointing to pressures that Lebanon is facing to prevent it from investing its maritime wealth.
The Lebanese president also indicated that he is leading the negotiations, and after reaching an agreement, the Council of Ministers must approve and refer it to the Parliament according to the rules, noting that such procedure was not applied yet with respect to Line 29.
In addition, President Aoun presented to the parliamentary delegation the circumstances of stopping drilling in field No. 4, speaking of unconvincing justifications provided by the prospecting company, pointing out that international pressure had been obtained for it to stop following up on drilling.
Finally, President Aoun affirmed Lebanon’s rejection to Israeli threats, pointing out that the Israeli enemy is acting in contravention of international laws and resolutions, taking advantage of the international community’s silence about its violations of Security Council resolutions.
In response to a question, President Aoun denied the existence of any connection between the negotiations on the demarcation of the border with the issue of leasing gas and electricity from Egypt and Jordan, or negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
Source: Agencies
