A United Lebanon Never Accedes to US-Israeli Conditions: Analyst
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Lebanese political analyst expressed confidence that his country would never give in to conditions recently proposed by the US and Israel to resolve territorial disputes between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Talal Atrissi, a Lebanese university professor and Middle East expert, denounced a recent proposal put forward by David Satterfield, the acting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, to resolve Israel-Lebanon maritime disputes, and said Washington is trying to defend the economic interests of the Zionist regime of Israel.
“The US is not getting involved (in the row) as a mediator,” he said, adding that it has engaged to impose the Israeli conditions on Lebanon and the move is not acceptable.
The Lebanese analyst further made it clear that there is a consensus among the Lebanese officials about the opposition to the conditions set by Israel for the Arab country.
“Therefore, we do not believe that Lebanon would accept the conditions,” Atrissi stated.
Israel has recently escalated its threats over Lebanon’s invitation for offshore gas exploration bids along the countries’ maritime border, claiming that Lebanon will be drilling in areas owned by the Zionist regime.
Lebanese officials deny the Israeli statements, saying the area where the country plans to drill belongs to Lebanon.
The long-standing dispute resurfaced recently as Lebanon signed a deal with an international consortium to start exploratory offshore drilling next year.
Satterfield has been shuttling back and forth between Israel and Lebanon in a bid to resolve the disputes, according to media reports.
He met Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Wednesday in Beirut. The two had last met last Friday, after which Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated the Lebanese state’s rejection of US proposals as “unacceptable”.