Kuwait Rejects Iraq's Back Down On Navigation Coordination, Warns Of Fragile Security

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) By Nasser Al-Khamri

(News Report) KUWAIT, Oct 11 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait has wasted no time in reacting to recent decisions by Iraq annulling the Kuwait-Iraq accord on regulating navigation via Khor Abdullah and scrapping a security coordination protocol, while reserving the right to consider the two agreements effective.
Moreover, it has explicitly warned that these steps will lead to chaotic conditions in the northernmost Gulf waters where illegal drug and arms trade might thrive due to the loophole in coordination between the two countries' security authorities.
The Kuwaiti diplomacy let its voice heard at the highest and various quarters, namely the United Nations, where Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, affirmed that the Iraqi court ruling was based on false information and allegations.
Significantly too, Sheikh Ahmad explained to the world community that slack security in these strategic and sensitive waters will play into the hands of terrorists who use proceeds from the illegal trades.
The treaty had been endorsed by the Kuwaiti and Iraqi governments for regulating navigation via the waterway in 2012. It had been blessed by the Iraqi parliament according to Law 42/2013, and by the Kuwait National Assembly based on the Law 4/2013. A copy of the agreement had been delivered to the United Nations.
In his reaction during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf stated, "We in the State of Kuwait were surprised with the ruling of the Supreme Federal Court in the brotherly Republic of Iraq stipulating non-constitutional bases of the law of endorsing the 2012 treaty for regulating the navigation via Khor Abdullah." The treaty that had been endorsed and deposited with the UN was peppered with false historic information regarding the State of Kuwait. Sheikh Ahmad stated.
In the wake of the controversial and groundless court verdict, Sheikh Ahmad revealed that Baghdad, surprisingly too, scrapped "the security swap protocol," inked by the Kuwaiti and Iraqi navies in 2008, warning that this decision would lead to negative ramifications on the marine security and regulation of navigation via Khor Abdullah.
The State of Kuwait, he announced, "will consider the agreement for regulating navigation through Khor Abdullah and the security swap protocol effective for they are necessary to preserve marine security and sanctity.
These two accords, His Highness the Prime Minister explained further, "prevent chaos and borders' breaches by traffickers of arms and narcotics, two main sources for funding various terrorist militias." "From this highly prestigious podium where the march of multiple-party diplomacy had been launched to preserve global security and peace, the State of Kuwait affirms necessity that the government of the Republic of Iraq takes decisive and tangible measures to tackle repercussions of the rule and the distorted historic information for sake of preserving the good neighborliness relations.
"Moreover, my country stresses on the necessity of adherence to the security, independence and territorial sanctity of the two countries, the endorsed treaties between them, their territories' sanctity and the relevant international resolutions namely the Security Council resolution 833 according to which the land and sea borders had been demarcated until the marine mark Number 162," His Highness the Amir Representative said in his address at the UNGA session.
Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf called on Iraq to "substantiate its good intentions" and complete the tasks of the technical teams for the border demarcation until the Mark 162 according to international laws and covenants." The State of Kuwait reserves its full right to take the measures at the legal and international levels to preserve its unwavering legitimate and legal rights in line with the international resolutions, the international law which it has always keenly respected and adhered to in its relations with all states, he said.
Soon after Baghdad made the declaration on backing down from the Khor Abdullah accord, the Kuwaiti Cabinet issued a statement affirming that the resolution included baseless allegations, urging Baghdad to take serious and urgent steps to "tackle the negative consequences of these developments." Furthermore, the Kuwaiti Cabinet warned that the tribunal move would negatively impact on Baghdad's ties with the GCC countries, relevant international treaties and UNSG resolutions. This came on the heels of the Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Ahmad Al-Bakr's lodging a memo of complaint with the Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait Al-Menhel Al-Safi.
His Highness the Prime Minister, during a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammad Shayaa Al-Sudani on the UNSG session margins, called for demarcating all of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi borders on the basis of UN resolutions and conventions, echoing such a call by the GCC countries and the United State of America.
For his part, Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah stepped into the arena, urging the Iraqi Government "to tackle this issue, respect Kuwait's sovereignty, territorial sanctity and the agreement signed by the two countries." While strongly condemning the Iraqi court ruling, he said in televised remarks, "Here we are after 30 years (since the 1990 Iraqi aggression) hear the same rhetoric from the Iraqi side and this is something we denounce in the strongest terms." "We robustly condemn this verdict because it constitutes a bid to jeopardize the validity of accord endorsed by the two countries in 2012 .. we also condemn its contents because it is full of untrue information as far as the State of Kuwait is concerned." GCC foreign ministers, after meeting the Kuwaiti top diplomat Sheikh Salem at the New York quarters during the UNGC session, endorsed the Kuwaiti stance, stressed on the necessity that Iraq respect Kuwait's sovereignty, territorial sanctity and the relevant UN resolutions. They also called for completing demarcation of the Kuwait-Iraq borders and settle "the internal situation to ensure implementation" of waterway accord.
Meanwhile, the US that had spearheaded Kuwait's liberation in 1991, beefed up the ranks in the face of Iraqi ploys. Washington's charge d'affaires in Kuwait James Holtsnider reaffirmed in a statement to KUNA's the US full support for Kuwait's security, territorial sancity and sovereignty.
Holtsnider alluded to a meeting that grouped US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken with his GCC peers in New York where they collectively called for respect for the UN resolution 833 on the borders' demarcation. An identical stand was expressed in a meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Also in this vein, Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who took part in the meeting with the UK official affirmed rejection of the Iraqi claims. He had also held a series of meetings with senior officials from the UN and states of the globe to explain the Kuwaiti stance on the issue. (end) nma

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