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In this photo released by the Lebanese government, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, speaks after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon on April 15, 2021. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government via AP)
A senior US official on Thursday offered Washington’s assistance in facilitating negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to resolve their maritime border dispute.
“These negotiations have potential to unlock significant economic benefits for Lebanon,” said US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale in a statement to the press after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut.
By Reuters Staff
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States stands ready to facilitate maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel that will have benefits for the crisis-hit Lebanese economy, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday.
On a visit to Beirut, Under Secretary of State David Hale blamed Lebanese leaders for failing to end a deadlock in cabinet talks to tackle the collapse, which has crashed the currency. He warned that “those who continue to obstruct” progress open themselves up to punitive actions, without naming individuals.
As part of its pressure campaign on Tehran, Washington escalated sanctions last year against Lebanese allies of Hezbollah, hitting former ministers on charges of corruption and ties to the Iran-backed group, which it classifies as terrorist.
UPDATE 1-U.S. envoy: border talks with Israel will help crisis-hit Lebanon Reuters 3 hrs ago
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BEIRUT, April 15 (Reuters) - The United States stands ready to facilitate maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel that will have benefits for the crisis-hit Lebanese economy, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday.
On a visit to Beirut, Under Secretary of State David Hale blamed Lebanese leaders for failing to end a deadlock in cabinet talks to tackle the collapse, which has crashed the currency. He warned that those who continue to obstruct progress open themselves up to punitive actions, without naming individuals.
President Joe Biden s negotiators should use leverage gained against Iran by the previous US administration to reach a better nuclear.
Hale said that talks with Iran on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal could foster regional stability but “would only be the beginning of our work” as the United States addresses “the other elements of Iran’s destabilizing behavior”.
While pledging not to abandon US interests in Lebanon, Hale said resolving a maritime border dispute with Israel would “have potential to unlock significant economic benefits for Lebanon”.
The two neighboring enemies launched negotiations last year, a culmination of years of US diplomacy, which have since stalled. The dispute has held up offshore exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. While Israel pumps gas from offshore fields, Lebanon has yet to find commercial reserves.
The US is prepared to broker maritime talks between Lebanon and Israel, who share a fraught relationship over borders, a US envoy revealed.
The news comes as relations between the two countries worsen over Israel s exploration of an offshore gas field on Lebanon s southern border - part of an ongoing dispute over their shared sea frontier.
US Under Secretary of State David Hale, during a visit to Beirut, pledged Washington s support in helping solve the border dispute which would have the potential to unlock significant economic benefits for Lebanon .
The US pronouncement comes as Lebanon President Michel Aoun this week demanded Israel halt its offshore exploration.