Where are the Change Deputies on the Demarcation File?

The maritime border demarcation issue with Israel is intertwined with the government formation process, to the point that it almost supersedes it due to its economic significance and the potential it holds for Lebanon's recovery from the severe financial crisis it has plunged into. Lebanese citizens, across various responsibilities and positions, are closely following the intricate details related to the subject and the negotiations sponsored by the United Nations through the American mediator Amos Hochstein, who is said to be making progress after the Lebanese leadership, represented by the three presidents, abandoned what is known as line 29 in favor of line 23. This decision has been met with significant discontent from followers of this issue, particularly the Change Deputies, who staged a protest at the border with Israel and proclaimed their support for the proposed law put forth by Deputy Paula Yacoubian to amend law 163 by relying on line 29 as the basis for the ongoing negotiations. However, they have yet to make any progress in this regard. It is noteworthy that, according to American data, the negotiation process is nearing conclusion. Change Deputy Melhem Khalaf told "Al-Markazia": "As Change Deputies, we have sought to make a breakthrough in this sensitive and important file, but we did not find a willing ear with the executive authority, unfortunately, which should have initially amended Decree 6433 and worked with the legislative authority towards that end." The proposal presented by Deputy Yacoubian is to amend law 163 related to the coordinates, which would reinstate line 29 as a legal line to be agreed upon between the concerned parties and used as a reference by the United Nations. He concluded: "From the beginning, we have sought to achieve a law that enshrines Lebanon's full rights to its oil wealth, as the law takes precedence over the decree, but the authority has maintained the decree, thereby weakening the Lebanese position."