(MENAFN) The local government and the Iraqi provinces of Al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar have been having a dispute over the provinces' rivalry over border crossings with Saudi Arabia.
Iraq is moving forward in deepening ties with Saudi Arabia through the reopening of border crossings between the two countries.
According to The New Arab website, Dhi Qar provincial council, which has no border with Saudi Arabia, wants to have a corridor running through Al-Muthanna and linking it to Saudi territory. A local source in Dhi Qar has said that the local government in Al-Muthanna rejected the request and indicated that it will not agree to provide a passage which would benefit another province.
"Dhi Qar province will work on convincing Al-Muthanna in line with legal contexts," explained the source. "All territories belong to Iraq, whether in Al-Muthanna or Al-Anbar or Dohuk, and no one can be in charge of Iraq and its territories."
For his part, Salam Hamza of Al-Muthanna province council rejected the idea of opening a border crossing linking Dhi Qar to Saudi Arabia through his provincial territory. He demanded that local officials in Dhi Qar should not escalate the dispute, and threatened to take the case to the courts to solve the issue. "Dhi Qar province has no border crossing with Saudi Arabia," he pointed out, "and we cannot but rely on the administrative border established between the two provinces and stop conflicts that exacerbate tensions."
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