A major breakthrough is not expected in the second round of indirect maritime border talks that began on Wednesday morning between Lebanon and Israel, two countries still technically at war.
"They are buying time and de-escalating tension as they wait for the results of the US presidential elections," Lebanese political analyst Imad Salamey told The National.
“If Joe Biden wins, the Iranians will provide him with a positive start. If [President Donald] Trump wins, I think there will be an escalation of tensions.”
Mediated by the US with help from the UN, the talks are a highly sensitive topic in Lebanon because of Iran’s influence there.
Tehran directly backs the country’s most influential party and powerful militia Hezbollah, an ally of President Michel Aoun.
An unidentified assistant of UN special co-ordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis led the talks in the presence of US mediator, ambassador John Desrocher, the Lebanese state National News Agency reported.
The talks were held at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force in the Lebanese border town of Naqoura.
Delegations are said to have entered technical issues but no news yet as to what exactly
The Lebanese delegation arrived by helicopter, while the Lebanese army was heavily posted along with UN forces to ensure the security of those attending. The security precautions appear to have been justified.
Lebanon's caretaker Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad tweeted that journalists from the government-owned Tele Liban had been assaulted while covering the talks.
Ms Abdel Samad did not identify the attackers. Journalists covering South Lebanon must obtain a permit from the army and often co-ordinate with Hezbollah, which controls the region.
Karim El Mufti, professor of political science at Universite La Sagesse in Beirut, said the Lebanese and Israeli delegates were still meeting mediators separately.
"Delegations are said to have entered technical issues but no news yet as to what exactly,” Prof El Mufti said.
Tension between the US and Iran escalated during the mandate of Mr Trump, who pulled his country out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, which was brokered by Barack Obama in 2015.
Hezbollah and Israel, which fought a 33-day war in 2006, regularly clash along Lebanon’s southern border.
“Iran does not want to create tensions with the United States at the moment to not encourage electors to favour Trump,” Mr Salamey said.
“Trump could use any Iranian escalations in his favour.”
But Lebanon and Israel want to solve their maritime border dispute to exploit potentially lucrative oil and gas discoveries.
The two countries claim 860 square kilometres of the Mediterranean Sea as being within their respective exclusive economic zones.
After nearly a decade of attempts at mediation by the US, Lebanon and Israel sat down for a first round of talks on October 14.
A few hours before the meeting, Hezbollah and its local ally the Amal Movement, also backed by Tehran, said they disapproved of the Lebanese negotiating team, which was chosen by Mr Aoun’s office.
The two parties were unhappy because two of the four delegation members were civilians, not members of the military.
They feared this would pave the way to a more political approach to discussions and to a normalisation of relations with Israel.
The NNA reported on Wednesday that the team’s composition had not changed.
“The Lebanese delegation carried maps and documents showing points of disagreement,” it said.
Lebanon is expected to adopt a "maximalist approach" to maritime border negotiations, Laury Haytayan, a Lebanese energy expert, told AFP.
"We have to wait to see the reaction of the Israelis," Ms Haytayan said.
If you go...
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CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20QUALIFIER%2C%20ZIMBABWE%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
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The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
EA Sports FC 24
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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