Baghdad [Iraq], July 31: Iraq and Kuwait will work towards reaching a definitive agreement on demarcating their borders, including a contested maritime area of the Gulf, their foreign ministers said on Sunday. The de facto land and maritime borders between the neighboring states were established by the United Nations in 1993, three years after Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. While Iraqi officials have previously expressed a readiness to recognize Kuwait's land border, the maritime border remains a point of contention.
Baghdad insists that the delineation should provide it unhindered access to Gulf waters, a lifeline for its economy and oil exports. Because of the long-standing dispute, Kuwaiti coastguards regularly detain Iraqi fishermen and seize their vessels for entering Kuwaiti territorial waters "illegally". After meeting his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah in Baghdad on Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that during their talks "the emphasis was placed on resolving the border issues".
He told reporters the border talks would "continue through various technical committees". Baghdad will host a meeting of a legal committee relating to the talks on August 14. Sheikh Salem said there was "complete consensus" between Kuwait and Iraq to "resolve outstanding problems between the two countries, particularly the demarcation of maritime boundaries". Sheikh Salem also announced opening a commercial office at the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra. Iraq's government under Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani, who was appointed by pro-Iran parties, is seeking closer ties with Arab Gulf monarchies, aiming to strengthen regional economic cooperation and counter the flow of narcotics.
In 2021, Baghdad made the final payment of war reparations totaling more than $52 billion to its neighbor. Saddam's forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990 and annexed it before being driven out seven months later by an international coalition led by the United States. Separately, Iran's oil minister said Sunday Tehran would "pursue its rights" to a gas field claimed in total by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait if negotiations fail, the ministry's news agency reported. The offshore zone of the resource-rich Gulf, known as Arash in Iran and Durra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has long been a focal point of contention between the three countries.
"Iran will pursue its rights and interests regarding exploitation and exploration" of the field "if there is no desire for understanding and cooperation", Iranian Oil Minister JavadOwji was quoted as saying by the official Shana news agency. He said Tehran has sought "the path of negotiation and understanding with our neighbors", according to Shana. "Iran will not tolerate any violation of its rights," Owji added. Earlier this month, Kuwait had invited Iran for another round of maritime border talks after Tehran said it was ready to start drilling in the field.
On Thursday, Sky News Arabia quoted Kuwait's Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak as saying his country would begin "drilling and production" at the gas field without waiting for a demarcation deal with Iran. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who share some maritime gas and oil resources, last year signed an agreement to jointly develop the field despite objections from Iran, which branded the deal as "illegal". The row over the field stretches back to the 1960s, when Iran and Kuwait each awarded an offshore concession, one to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the forerunner to BP, and one to Royal Dutch Shell.
The two concessions overlapped in the northern part of the field, whose recoverable reserves are estimated at some 220 billion cu m. Iran and Kuwait have held unsuccessful talks for many years over their disputed maritime border area, which is rich in natural gas. Iranian drilling of the field in 2001 spurred Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to agree on joint offshore projects. Saudi Arabia and Iran ended in March a seven-year rift with a surprise Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal, raising hopes for reduced tensions between the Middle East heavyweights.
Source: Kuwait Times