Khor Abdulla, The Disputed Maritime Waterway Between Iraq And Kuwait
Khor Abdullah is an estuary lying between Kuwait and Iraq. It is a shared water way border between the two countries and thus, often a subject of conflict.
The conflict of Khor Abdullah is not new. The disputes were sprouted from the Iran – Iraq war which longed from 1980 to 1988. Before the war, it has been a significant trade route of the Arab Gulf.
After Iraq”s invasion on Kuwait during the time of Saddam Hussain, with the intervention of UN, Iraq retreated from the land of Kuwait (after seven months of the invasion) and land border between the two countries were demarcated by UN in 1993. However, the maritime border was left to the hands of Iraq and Kuwait.
As an attempt to trade peace between the two countries, an agreement was signed between the two oil producers to regulate the maritime navigations through Khor Abdullah. The agreement held clear picture of the responsibilities and rights of the two countries regarding the usage of the water and facilitating safe passing of vessels and trade. Both countries” parliament agreed and sealed the deal in 2013.
However, on September 4, Iraq court has “nullified” 2012 agreement between the two countries by stating that the deal is “unconstitutional” as the ruling of the deal was ratified with simple majority in the Iraq Parliament and should need the majority of two-third in the Parliament for the ruling to be on board.
The Kuwait MPs retorted that the Iraqi court”s verdict does not nullify the agreement since it was based on past UN Council Resolution.
As a result of the long standing disagreement regarding the exact border, coastguards of Kuwait often seized vessels of Iraqi fishermen for “illegally” entering the border. Khor Abdulla is Iraq”s only waterway to Gulf for their exporting of oil and importing of goods. Iraqi law makers and politicians claimed the 2012 agreement remove Khor Abdullah from Iraq”s sovereign power.
Now, Kuwait Academics has nullified the Iraq supreme federal court”s verdict. Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait”s Minister of Foreign Affairs “condemns” the verdict. He also urged the Iraqi government to dissolve the issue and restore respect for the State of Kuwait sovereignity.
Earlier, Muhammed Shia al-Sudani, Prime Minister of Iraq and Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait discussed the matter in New York during the 78 th session of United Nation General Assembly.
The Gulf Cooperation Countries and US has called for the demarcation of the maritime border of the two countries and the Iraq government to solve the domestic legal status of the Kuwait-Iraq agreement of 2012.
Khor Abdulla is an estuary where Shatt al-Arab river meet with Persian Gulf and is sprawled over 120 km.
With inputs from THE NEW ARAB.
