Lebanese chief negotiator Elias Bou Saab told Reuters Wednesday that US energy envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut next week, bringing a copy of the maritime border demarcation agreement with Israel that will be signed by the Lebanese officials.
The agreement, hailed by the three parties as a historic achievement, marks a huge diplomatic turning point after decades of war and hostility and once it enters into force it will open the doors to energy exploration off the coasts of the two countries.
Bou Saab confirmed that Hochstein “will arrive next week with the agreement we will sign”. He didn’t say when the deal would be signed.
The text, seen by Reuters, shows that the two sides independently informed Washington of their deal on the deal. The United States will then send a notification to the parties of the entry into force of the agreement, then the two countries will send the coordinates of the demarcation of the new border to the United Nations.
But a traditional signing ceremony with the leaders of the two countries is unlikely, given that Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war.
Hochstein said in a forum hosted by the Middle East Institute on Tuesday that he will visit the region next week, without specifying any dates or destinations.
“The president of Lebanon and the prime minister of Israel will decide on the signature. See what will happen in the next few days,” he added.
