US envoy Amos Hochstein during a meeting with caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad in Beirut in early August. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — American envoy Amos Hochstein, in charge of the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on the delineation of their maritime border, "is working to resolve the pending disagreements" between the two sides, a US State Department spokesperson told regional media Monday.
The comments come days after Israeli officials rejected amendments made by the Lebanese authorities to a proposed US resolution for the deal, and as a new version of a resolution proposal should be submitted soon by Hochstein.
"Hochstein is in contact with all parties and is working to resolve the pending disagreements as the negotiations are in their final stages," a State Department spokesperson told the Al Arabiya news site, speaking anonymously. "We remain committed to reaching a solution and believe that a long-term agreement is possible and within reach," he said.
On Sunday evening, the Lebanese Presidency announced via Twitter that a new "final version" of the mediation proposal would be sent by Hochstein to Lebanon "in the coming hours."
Later, on Monday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that "indirect negotiations" with Israel "have already come a long way" and that the "gaps are narrowing" between the positions of the two countries. Lebanon is preparing to finalize in the coming days "all the arrangements" related to the negotiations.