(Communicated by the MFA Spokesman)
The third round of talks in the negotiations between Israel and UNIFIL concerning the village of Ghajar, headed by MFA Director General Yossi Gal and UNIFIL commander Maj. General Claudio Graziano, ended today (Monday, 25 January 2010) in Jerusalem.
Following previous discussions on the political, military and security aspects regarding the settlement of the Ghajar issue, today's discussion focused on the civilian issue. In this framework, in-depth discussions on policing, education, healthcare as well as other issues were held. In addition, legal issues were also discussed, with the aim of clarifying the UNIFIL proposal for the settlement of the Ghajar issue.
Maj. General Graziano will shortly conclude his term as UNIFIL commander. He will be replaced by Maj. General Alberto Asarta Cuevas of Spain.
The head of the Israeli negotiation team, MFA Director General Yossi Gal, thanked Maj. General Claudio Graziano, his country – Italy, and the United Nations for his service as commander of the UNIFIL force, and stated that he will gladly continue the negotiation with his replacement in the next few weeks, as was agreed upon by the two sides.
The Israeli negotiation team is comprised of officials from the defense establishment, the IDF, the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.