UN Lebanon Coordinator Joanna Wronecka on Thursday welcomed the «historic achievement» of the Lebanese-Israeli maritime agreement and hoped that it would serve to promote stability and security in the region.
«This is a historic achievement,» emphasized Wronecka, who stressed that the agreement can not only serve to strengthen the security of the region, but also an economic boost for both countries.
Wronecka thanked Lebanon and Israel for their willingness to reach this agreement and, in the case of Beirut, she also highlighted the unity shown by their political leaders, a common stance that could be a first step towards generating consensus on issues of national interest in the future.
Lebanon and Israel are technically at war, so the agreement, the fruit of two years of indirect negotiations, is in any case of special symbolic importance. It concerns an area of some 860 square kilometers claimed by both sides and in which natural gas deposits have been discovered.
Both Israel and Lebanon agreed to recognize Israel’s buoyed border, allowing Beirut to enjoy the area north of Line 23, including the Qana field, while the Israeli authorities maintain control over the Karish field, the exploitation of which has already begun.
