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Israel and Lebanon Close to Signing Maritime Gas Agreement
(Globes) Danny Zaken - According to a diplomatic source in Israel, the substantive disputes over the maritime border deal have been resolved. An official Lebanese source told Al Jazeera that Lebanon was inclined to agree to the U.S. proposal for marking the maritime border with Israel, and that it contained solutions to all the points in dispute. On the issue of the line of buoys marking the political border, the source said that the U.S. proposal incorporated Lebanon's objection to determining it as the border line, and that a final determination would be made later on, when the land border is fixed. The Israeli diplomatic source said the new wording allowed Israel full military activity up to the line of buoys, and secured the receipt of compensation for the development of the Qana/Sidon field which is partially in Israeli waters. Once the wording is finalized, the agreement will go to the government for approval, but before that will be laid before the Knesset, although the Knesset will not vote on it. The diplomatic source estimated that the agreement would be signed in the week before the election in Israel on November 1.