BEIRUT, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said on Thursday that the deal to demarcate the maritime border with Israel is at a "make or break" point after Israel rejected Lebanon's amendments to a U.S.-brokered proposal on resolving the border dispute.
Bou Saab, also Lebanon's lead negotiator, said that he has contacted U.S. Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein to remove the emerging obstacles to the deal, according to the Elnashra news website.
"The deal is 90 percent done, but the remaining 10 percent could make it or break it," he noted.
Bou Saab's remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced earlier in the day his rejection of revisions to a draft deal requested by Beirut.
Meanwhile, Al-Hadath TV channel quoted a source at Lebanon's presidency as saying "the U.S. envoy stated that the Israelis rejected some of the Lebanese amendments to the maritime border deal, but they did not reject the agreement."
Lebanese authorities are trying to end a dispute with Israel over maritime borders, which has escalated after Israel on June 5 sent a vessel to the Karish field, which Israel claims is within its economic zone, while Lebanon claims in disputed waters. ■
