Gulf bloc urges Iraq to withdraw UN map, coordinates over ‘infringement’ of Kuwait’s sovereignty

By Rania Abushamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called on Iraq on Monday to withdraw a map and geographic coordinates Baghdad submitted to the United Nations, which Kuwait says infringes on its territory.

In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the map and coordinates “represent an infringement upon the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait over its maritime areas and shoals,” including Fasht Al Qaid and Fasht Al A’aij.

He stressed the importance of addressing the issue “by resorting to the rules and principles of international law and the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” in line with bilateral understandings, agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries.

Albudaiwi reaffirmed rejection of “any infringement upon Kuwait’s sovereignty over all its lands, islands, associated shoals and maritime zones.”

“The GCC and the Republic of Iraq are bound by deep-rooted historical relations and close ties based on mutual respect and good neighbourliness,” he said, voicing hope that Iraq would review and withdraw the map and coordinates lodged with the UN “to support mutual trust and stability in bilateral relations.”

Kuwait summoned Iraq’s chargé d’affaires on Saturday to protest Baghdad’s filing of maritime coordinates and map with the UN, saying the submission infringes on its territory.

In August 1990, Iraq, under then-President Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait, leading to the 1991 Gulf War, during which a US-led international coalition expelled Iraqi forces after seven months.

Baghdad and Kuwait resumed diplomatic relations in 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government.

After the invasion, the UN demarcated the land boundary between the two countries. But the demarcation did not settle all aspects of their maritime boundary, leaving certain maritime delimitation issues to be addressed bilaterally between the two oil-producing neighbors.