French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met Friday morning with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Colonna had arrived Thursday evening in Beirut to meet with top Lebanese officials.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the resolution of the maritime boundary dispute between Lebanon and Israel.

In a statement he said that he strongly believes "this encouraging development can promote increased stability in the region and enhanced prosperity for the Lebanese and Israeli peoples."

President Michel Aoun said Thursday that Lebanon has formally approved the U.S.-mediated maritime border deal with Israel.

"This indirect agreement responds to Lebanese demands and maintains all our rights," Aoun said in an address to the nation.

U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea met Thursday with Internal Security Forces chief Major General Imad Othman on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the signing of the first letter of agreement between the United States, through the Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), on October 5, 2007.

President Michel Aoun will make an address to the nation on Thursday regarding the sea border demarcation deal that has been reached with Israel, Speaker Nabih Berri’s adviser Ali Hamdan said.

“President Michel Aoun called the parliament speaker to hold consultations and he (Aoun) informed him of U.S. President Joe Biden’s message,” Hamdan said in a TV interview.

President Michel Aoun on Thursday held phone talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and PM-designate Najib Mikati to discuss with them the file of sea border demarcation in light of the final draft sent by U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to Lebanese officials, the National News Agency said.

Aoun also discussed the matter in a meeting with caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday asked Parliament’s General Secretariat to send all MPs copies of the sea border demarcation deal with Israel.

Berri added that the copies should be sent out after the agreement’s approval in Cabinet.

A parliamentary session for the election of Lebanon's next president was adjourned Thursday to next week due to lack of quorum.

Only 71 out of 128 lawmakers attended the session and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for another vote on October 20, to take place before Aoun's term finishes at the end of the month.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday slammed Speaker Nabih Berri anew for setting a parliamentary election session on the date of October 13, which is highly sensitive for the FPM.

“We must respect the martyrs of each other and the anniversary, because on this date there were people who died for the sake of legitimacy and the homeland, whereas some were traitorous on this date and they have disrespected the anniversary,” Bassil said, after he laid a wreath on the monument of the unknown soldier.

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad announced Wednesday that the fuel oil that Lebanon will receive from Iran for its electricity plants “will be a grant” and accordingly is exempt from “any sanctions.”

“We will follow up on this issue and we have received reassurances that it will move forward,” Fayyad added, after meeting President Michel Aoun in Baabda.