US declares failure of Lebanon-Israel maritime boundary talks

Mike Pompeo has said the US is ready to provide mediation for future talks, which are focused on energy

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the State Department in Washington. AFP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that talks this year between Israel and Lebanon over a long-disputed maritime boundary have made no progress.

“Earlier this year, the Israeli and Lebanese governments sought US assistance in mediating an agreement on their maritime boundary,” Mr Pompeo said in a statement released on Wednesday.

“Regrettably, despite goodwill on both sides, the parties remain far apart,” Mr Pompeo said.

Officials from the UN and US first called for negotiations over the disputed area of sea in 2011, after the US Geological Survey reported that sub-sea resources off the coast, known as the Levantine Basin, contained vast oil and gas resources.

Since then, the US and UN have been pushing for compromise on an area thought to hold almost three trillion cubic metres of gas, enough to supply Lebanon with decades’ worth of electricity in gas fired power plants, if used efficiently. The disputed area may also hold almost two billion barrels of oil.

The talks, beginning in October and held in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, were hailed as a potential breakthrough, something Mr Pompeo’s statement highlighted as offering “potentially significant economic benefits to the people of both countries”.

Some observers, including the daughter of Lebanese president Claudine Aoun, hoped that a compromise would not only lead to lucrative energy deals for both sides, but also further talks on a host of issues, including a disputed land border and trade.

But the maritime talks soon faltered, with both sides increasingly taking maximalist positions.

An early move by Lebanese delegation was to increase the disputed area by claiming an additional 1,430 square kilometres, on top of the 860 square kilometre area in question.

Hezbollah heightened controversy around the talks, first by rejecting them outright, before insisting that Lebanon should be represented by a military delegation, despite the geological focus of the negotiations.

Lebanon has also awarded oil and gas exploration licenses in the disputed area, signing contracts with Total, ENi and Novatek in 2017. Israel announced in July that exploration licences would be awarded in the disputed “Block 72” area, a decision Lebanese President Michel Aoun called “highly dangerous”.

The US and UN now face a difficult task convincing delegations to return to the negotiating table. Mr Pompeo, however, stressed that efforts would continue.

“The United States remains ready to mediate constructive discussions and urges both sides to negotiate based on the respective maritime claims both have previously deposited at the United Nations,” he said.

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  Israeli military vehicles near the kibbutz Manara in northern Israel's upper Galilee patrol along the border with Lebanon overlooking the Hula Valley. AFP

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  A UN naval ship patrols off the Lebanese coast during talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Naqoura, southern Lebanon. Reuters

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  A convoy of vehicles passes from Naqoura ahead of talks between Israel and Lebanon on disputed waters, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon. Reuters

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  A helicopter flies over a base of the U.N. peacekeeping force, in the southern town of Naqoura, Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel held a second round of U.S.-mediated talks over their disputed maritime border and agreed on a third meeting. The U.S.-mediated talks are being held in a tent at the U.N. post along the border known as Ras Naqoura, on the edge of the Lebanese border town of Naqoura. AP Photo

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  Lebanese soldiers stand guard as U.N. peacekeeping vehicles enter the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura, Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel are to begin Wednesday indirect talks over the disputed maritime border between the two countries in the presence of American officials who are mediating between the Middle Eastern nations. AP Photo

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  A UN peacekeeper sits atop a light tank near the post where the indirect talks between Israel and Lebanon were being held in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura, Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel are to begin indirect talks over their disputed maritime border, with American officials mediating the talks that both sides insist are purely technical and not a sign of any normalization of ties. AP Photo