NNA – Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdullah Bou Habib, on Thursday met with U.S. mediator, Amos Hochstein, who visited him in the company of US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in Downtown Beirut.
The meeting reportedly tackled the draft resolution on extending UNIFILrsquo;s mandate in South Lebanon.nbsp;
For his part, Hochstein stressed the US administrationrsquo;s keenness on preserving stability in south Lebanon.nbsp;
In turn, Minister Bou Habib explained that the position that he had disclosed in New York was that of the Lebanese government mdash; in consultation with various local parties mdash; ldquo;in order to preserve sovereignty, interests, and stability in south Lebanon.rdquo;nbsp;
On the other hand, the US envoy expressed his ldquo;aspiration to continue following up on gas exploration in Lebanese territorial waters, pointing out that ldquo;there is global interest in the aforementioned exploration.rdquo;
Moreover, the US envoy said that he was very optimistic ldquo;if this this momentum is accompanied by the necessary reforms, and the completion of the necessary constitutional entitlements, then it will put Lebanon back on the right track leading to economic advancement and enhanced stability.rdquo;
Regarding the southern land border demarcation, Hochstein stated that after the successful mediation he had carried out to reach an agreement over the maritime border, he was in the process of carrying out a feasibility study over the possibility of conducting a mediation that would eliminate the disputed points within the land border demarcation dossier.nbsp;
Consequently, Bou Habib expressed Lebanonrsquo;s full readiness to cooperate in a manner which preserves its rights.
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===========R.H.