NEW YORK (PIC)– Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour has announced the start of talks with Egypt on the demarcation of its maritime boundaries with the Gaza Strip.
Riyad Mansour said on Friday that the Palestinian and Egyptian foreign ministers began preliminary talks recently to specify their territorial waters and delegated technical teams to complete the discussions in this regard.
According to his remarks the PA aims to establish an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of Gaza and to explore undersea resources in accordance with the UN convention on the law of the sea.
“The Palestinian strategy is to reach agreements with two of its neighbors in the Mediterranean first Egypt and then Cyprus in order to define our exclusive economic zones and then consult with lawyers as to what the potential borders with Israel could be” he was quoted as saying.
“The Palestinians want to move as quickly as possible but these proceedings could take years” he added.
“For us the fact that we are a state that our land is under occupation and that we are joining conventions and treaties means that we cannot run away from the responsibilities that these treaties and conventions require from us” the PA ambassador said.
“It is our right to declare our exclusive economic zone” he stressed.
An EEZ is an area of the sea over which a country has special rights to explore for and use resources.
