President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met the American mediator in the negotiations for the demarcation of southern maritime borders, Amos Hochstein, today at the Presidential Palace.

Hochstein indicated that he is “Optimistic about reaching an agreement” on the demarcation of the border, pointing out that “There is progress in this field”.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib, former Minister, Salim Jreissati, Director General of the Presidency of the Republic Dr. Antoine Choucair, Director General of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, and advisors Rafic Shelala and Osama Khashab.

On the American side, the Chargé d’Affairs of the American Embassy in Beirut, Mr. Richard Michaels, Senior Adviser to Hochstein for Maritime Border Negotiations, Ms. Nadine Zaatar, Head of the Economic Unit in the Office of Near Eastern Affairs, Lindsey Merrill, Director of Transnational Affairs for the Middle East and North Africa at the US National Security Council, and Amy Smith, Deputy Political-Economic Advisor at the US Embassy in Beirut.

Moreover, Hochstein presented the results of the contacts he made with the Israeli side and some points related to the negotiations.

Hochstein also listened to Lebanon’s viewpoint on some of the points being discussed.

Statement:

After the meeting, Hochstein made a brief statement in which he said:

“It was an excellent meeting, and I believe that we have made good progress in this field.

I will continue my tour with officials, to say more about this subject after completing my meetings.

I am grateful to President Aoun for receiving me and for the discussions that we had during the meeting, and I am optimistic about reaching an agreement”.

Source: National News Agency