Lebanon says it is ready to set its maritime boundaries with Israel under UN supervision, after US mediation and attempts backed by Cyprus and Greece to broker a deal.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the country was prepared to define its maritime borders with the same mechanism used to draw the Blue Line, a UN-demarcated separation line between the two.
Mr Berri was speaking in a meeting with Maj Gen Stefano Del Col, head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Gen Del Col agreed that a UN role in the talks could strengthen maritime security and stability.
With no formal land boundary between Lebanon and Israel, the UN drew the Blue Line to ascertain a complete Isreali military withdrawal from Lebanon and it has since become the unofficial border monitored by peacekeepers.
The maritime border is an important issue for Lebanon's economy with its sluggish growth rate, lack of reform and growing deficit.
The sea border area covers a disputed zone with potential oil and gas reserves.
Lebanon and Israel have divided their territorial waters into numbered blocks to license exploration permits for oil companies, but several of these remain contested. Last year, Lebanon licensed block 9 that falls in the disputed area but the consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek say they only plan to explore elsewhere in the zone.
The issue goes back to around 2007 when Lebanon and Cyprus drew their maritime borders to create special economic zones for offshore oil and gas exploration.
Such zones, within a specified distance of a country's coastline, are the area of water and seabed in which the country has exclusive rights for fishing and oil exploration.
Israel then used the points agreed to by Lebanon and Cyprus to define its maritime border. In 2011, Lebanon clarified it's EEZ proposal in a letter submitted to the UN, but Israel disputed the findings. Between the two lines submitted by Israel and Lebanon to the UN was an overlapping 860 square kilometer area in the Mediterranean that both sides claim. Without diplomatic ties, Lebanon and Israel have not negotiated directly over the matter.
Mr Berri’s announcement suggests that the UN force could expand its role to define the maritime border as well as the land boundaries.
But a UN force spokesman told The National that maritime borders was beyond its mandate.
The UN adopted a resolution after the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel to maintain the ceasefire along the land border, meaning the Security Council may need to expand the force's mandate.
Despite Mr Berri’s optimism, a deal may not be struck soon because of divisions in the Lebanese government.
Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Bou Saab struck a defiant tone on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel on Wednesday.
“We will continue to demand every inch of Lebanese territory," Mr Bou Saab told the state news agency.
Other contested areas on land include the Shebaa Farms area and the northern side of Ghajar village.
In Washington, the Trump administration has been keen to reach a deal that would settle the border issue and allow oil and gas exploration.
In February 2018, acting assistant secretary of state for near east affairs David Satterfield shuttled between Beirut and Tel Aviv to hash out a deal. Among other proposals, he offered Lebanese authorities 60 per cent of the disputed area, a package that he had also negotiated with Israel, Al Hayat newspaper reported. Beirut declined the offer.
During his last visit to the region in March, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made stops in Lebanon and Israel.
One source told The National that the maritime border was the first item on his talks with Mr Berri. Those discussions continued in Washington during a visit by a Lebanese delegation two weeks ago.
Sources said the new approach embraces the UN supervision and could enable a deal that decides the land and sea borders.
Cyprus has also been playing an active role. Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis visited Lebanon last month.
A US official told The National that Washington is now waiting for Lebanon to reach an internal consensus on the issue.
“Our position has not changed," the official said.
"When Lebanese leaders reach a consensus position on a path forward on boundary negotiations, the United States stands ready to re-engage and work towards solutions that are mutually agreeable to both parties."
But Mr Berri’s latest statement has signalled that UN oversight could be accepted by all parties.
Reaching a deal would be significant, says Randa Slim, the director of back-channel diplomacy at the Middle East Institute.
The absence of a formal land border “can be a trigger for military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah", Ms Slim said.
Lebanon could also benefit economically by spurring international investment in its oil and gas sector.
“It would be a boost for US-Lebanon relations, given the US mediation role and opportunities it may present US companies in oil and gas exploration,” Ms Slim said.
Lebanon signed offshore oil and gas exploration agreements early in 2018 with France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
A second licensing round was approved in early April for four blocks, including block 8 which also falls partly in the disputed territory.
But the fact that much of the area is under dispute will probably discourage investors, said Laury Haytayan, Mena director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute in New York.
Ms Haytayan pointed to several outstanding issues.
“If there is an agreement that Unifil will be the right party to deal with borders, then Lebanon and Israel need to both set up a team to lead those negotiations," she said.
Differences within the Lebanese government are also blocking an agreement, Ms Haytayan said.
While Mr Berri advocates a joint land and sea border deal, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil prefer two separate arrangements.
They say that focusing on each border separately could give Lebanon more leverage and speed up negotiations.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
LILO & STITCH
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Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
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Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
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Company%20Profile
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Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
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Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
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Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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The biog
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Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
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General Classification
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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1,800m
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1,800m ,400m
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MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
RACE CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
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9.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Coal Black Mornings
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Little Brown Book Group
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Honeymoonish
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