INTERNATIONAL

The Syrian regime yesterday cancelled a scheduled meeting with Lebanese officials to discuss the delineation of their sea boundaries.

According to Reuters, this came in a letter sent by the Syrian government to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry yesterday, saying “the time was not right” for such a visit.

The cancellation came just a very short time after Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun tweeted that Deputy Speaker of Lebanese Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, would lead the official Lebanese delegation to Syria.

Several gas discoveries have been made in the eastern Mediterranean that would make a number of countries in the region major players in the global gas trade.

The Syrian-Lebanese discussions were due to begin only days after Lebanon and Israel reached an agreement to delineate their boundaries after years of US mediation.

Last year, Syria granted a license to Russia to carry out gas exploration in an area claimed by Lebanon, prompting disputes between the two neighbouring countries.

Source: Middle East Monitor