Aoun Expresses Hope for Israel Border Talks

In this photo released by the Lebanese government, Lebanese president Michel Aoun addressees a speech, in the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese government via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese government, Lebanese president Michel Aoun addressees a speech, in the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese government via AP)
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Aoun Expresses Hope for Israel Border Talks

In this photo released by the Lebanese government, Lebanese president Michel Aoun addressees a speech, in the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese government via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese government, Lebanese president Michel Aoun addressees a speech, in the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese government via AP)

Lebanon’s president said Wednesday he wants maritime border talks with Israel to succeed and that disagreements during the last round of negotiations can be resolved based on international law.

President Michel Aoun spoke during a meeting with John Desrocher, the US mediator for the negotiations, who was in Beirut for discussions with Lebanese leaders.

The fourth round of talks, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday, was postponed until further notice, officials in the two countries said.

The negotiations are the first non-security talks to be held between the two countries, which have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war following decades of conflict. Resolving the border issue could pave the way for lucrative oil and gas deals on both sides.

Israel and Lebanon each claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. During the second round of the talks the Lebanese delegation — a mix of army officers and experts — offered a new map that pushes for an additional 1,430 square kilometers (550 square miles).

Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview with Army Radio last week that “the Lebanese presented positions that are a provocation,” but he added that all negotiations start with “excessive demands and provocations.”

“I hope that in a few months we’ll be able to reach a breakthrough,” he added, The Associated Press reported.

A statement released by Aoun’s office quoted him as telling Desrocher that Lebanon wants the talks to succeed because “this will strengthen stability in the south and allow us to invest in natural resources of oil and gas.”

He said difficulties that surfaced during the last round can be solved through discussions based on the Law of the Sea. Aoun said if the talks stall then “other alternatives can be put forward,” without elaborating.

The last round of talks were held in November and hosted by the United Nations in a border post between the two countries.

Israel has already developed offshore natural gas rigs, producing enough for domestic consumption and export abroad. Lebanon hopes that its own oil and gas discoveries will help alleviate its long-running economic troubles.



Sudan Launches Talks for a Comprehensive Political Process

A child stands between two women at a school turned into a shelter, in Port Sudan, Sudan, August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A child stands between two women at a school turned into a shelter, in Port Sudan, Sudan, August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Sudan Launches Talks for a Comprehensive Political Process

A child stands between two women at a school turned into a shelter, in Port Sudan, Sudan, August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A child stands between two women at a school turned into a shelter, in Port Sudan, Sudan, August 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef Mohamed said on Thursday that consultations have begun to launch an inclusive political process aimed at forming a technocratic government to lead the country through the transitional period, with a focus on reconstruction.

Youssef met with the European Union's envoy to the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber, in the interim administrative capital, Port Sudan, to discuss the EU institutions’ readiness to cooperate with Sudan in efforts to achieve stability and development.

He welcomed the EU’s statement rejecting the formation of a parallel government in Sudan. He also provided an update on the military situation and the government's efforts to end the war.

Weber reaffirmed the bloc’s full support for an inclusive political process in Sudan without exclusion or discrimination. She stressed the EU’s commitment to security and stability in Sudan, describing it as a key country in the Horn of Africa.

The African Union on Wednesday voiced "deep concern" over efforts by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies to form a parallel government in Sudan, warning that the move could lead to the country’s "massive fragmentation" after nearly two years of war.

Last month, the RSF and its allies signed a founding charter in Nairobi, declaring their intention to establish a "peace and unity government" in areas under their control.

They also pledged to build a decentralized, democratic civilian state based on freedom, equality, and justice, without cultural, ethnic, religious, or regional discrimination. Earlier this month, the same parties signed a transitional constitution.

The African Union urged its member states and the international community not to recognize any parallel government or entity seeking to divide Sudan or govern parts of its territory.

The European Union echoed this stance on Tuesday, warning that a rival government would threaten Sudan’s democratic aspirations, in line with a statement issued by the United Nations Security Council last week.