Hochstein tours Blue Line, says US keen on stability in South

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein on Thursday visited south Lebanon where met with UNIFIL chief Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz and toured the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, LBCI television said.

Hochstein later met in Beirut with caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and discussed with him the draft U.N. resolution for extending UNIFIL’s mandate.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Hochstein “stressed the keenness of his country’s administration on stability in the South.”

Hochstein also expressed optimism over gas exploration in Lebanon’s territorial waters and said he is evaluating the readiness of Lebanon and Israel for the launch of negotiations over the land border disputes, with Bou Habib saying that Lebanon is ready to engage in such talks in a manner that would preserve Lebanon’s rights.