BEIRUT (TASS): UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is on a visit to Beirut, called for the continuation of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on the demarcation of the maritime border. Spe-aking at a press conference after a meeting with Spe-aker of Parliament Nabih Berry, he indicated that the UN would help make progress towards resolving the border dispute.
“We will spare no effort to achieve an early conclusion of the negotiations, as this will allow Lebanon to use its offshore oil and gas reserves for economic development,” Guterres said.
The UN Secretary General said that he discussed with Berry the issue of continuing violations of the Lebanese airspace by the Israeli Air Force and the need for strict observance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which established a ceasefire on the Lebanese-Israeli border in 2006. “We stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers stationed in the south of the country,” he said. “In addition, the international community should increase support for the Lebanese armed forces.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Guterres visited the memorial complex in the seaport of Beirut, where he expressed solidarity with the families of those killed in the August 4, 2020 explosion. Lebanon needs a proper investigation into this emergency, he said. “My visit is aimed at mobilizing international support for victims of the emergency in the port of Beirut,” he said.
On August 4, 2020, an explosion occurred in the seaport of the Lebanese capital, the capacity of which was 1,500 tons of TNT. The blast wave destroyed and damaged thousands of houses within the city and beyond, 219 people died, 6.5 thousand were injured, more than 300 thousand citizens were left homeless. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Internal Affairs, the explosion was caused by the ignition of over 2.7 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse during welding.
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