Abdallah Bou Habib, the caretaker minister of foreign affairs and emigration, welcomed Ambassador Edward Gabriel, the head of the American Task Force for Lebanon, on Wednesday. Ambassador Gabriel said of the meeting’s discussions afterward: “Discussions mainly focused on Lebanese-American relations and the importance of striving to strengthen partnership between Lebanon and the US.”

“The ATFL came to Beirut and met with decision-makers, Lebanese government officials, parliamentarians, and other personalities, including the army chief, with whom discussions touched on the situation of the Lebanese army. During these meetings, we’ve also discussed the situation in Lebanon, and the importance of acting quickly to save the country and achieve economic recovery,” Gabriel said.

“We’ve also discussed the issue of maritime border demarcation and confirmed that it is a sovereign decision that belongs to Lebanon. We see that it is an opportunity for Lebanon, and this window of opportunity could be closed,” Gabriel added, fearing that at a letter stage, there will be no other opportunity to settle the problems between the two countries.

“This means that Lebanon will not be able to develop the region in the disputed area, and there will be no companies that will come to explore said disputed areas; therefore, I hope that the small opportunity now available will be used within the framework of Lebanon’s sovereign decision to develop a vision of a negotiated settlement that guarantees its interests,” Gabriel concluded.