A meeting was held at the Baabda Palace, attended by President Michel Aoun, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The discussion focused on the American proposal, with a technical and advisory team joining the meeting. After the meeting, Berri stated: "One and a half." Mikati confirmed that "things are heading in the right direction regarding the maritime border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Israel," emphasizing that "everyone's position in Lebanon is united regarding this agreement for the benefit of the country."
Mikati added, after the triple presidential meeting at Baabda Palace: "President Michel Aoun invited Speaker Nabih Berri and the Prime Minister to discuss the proposal presented by American mediator Amos Hochstein regarding the maritime border demarcation issue, preceded by a meeting of the technical committee." He continued: "Berri and I had some observations, which the technical committee fully considered, and we will respond to the American mediator accordingly."
Mikati further stressed that "all assumptions and basic matters are complete within the agreement, and things are on the right track; I also confirm that our position is unified for Lebanon's sake."
For his part, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab stated: "We take pride that the Lebanese position is united, which is a strong factor for Lebanon throughout the negotiation period. The technical team has unified all the observations to prepare a report soon as a response to the latest offer from the American mediator." He added, "We hope by tomorrow at the latest that the Lebanese response is in Hochstein's hands, and the work between us is happening day and night and quickly." He noted that "today we are not giving an official answer to Hochstein but rather observations, and the issues that remain are very minor."
Bou Saab pointed out that "Lebanon's final position will be provided once the final offer arrives, and Lebanon has obtained all its rights from the Qana field. The observations we made are legal and logical from the standpoint of rightful ownership." He continued: "If the observations are taken as we agreed on, we are talking about days for signing, not weeks. The disputed areas will remain disputed until a decision is made, and we do not recognize the Israeli enemy, thus we do not sign treaties or agreements with it. The American mediator was careful regarding this matter, and there are arrangements for signing." He also indicated that "the Israeli enemy knows Lebanon's strength, and there is a balance in dealing between the enemy and Lebanon based on the equation of 'the army, the people, and the resistance,' along with the unity of the Lebanese position."
