The file of the Iraq-Kuwait borders is considered one of the most sensitive files in Iraqi diplomacy, especially following the recent developments represented by Iraq depositing official maps and documents with the United Nations to consolidate its vision regarding its maritime and land borders. This step is not merely an administrative procedure, but rather a sovereign declaration that carries within it long-term strategic and legal objectives.<\/p>\n
First: The Essence of the Iraqi Move (Depositing the Map)<\/strong> Document the Legal Objection:<\/strong>\u00a0Registering an official reservation against any Kuwaiti expansion that could harm Iraqi navigational interests.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Escape the Shadow of Resolution 833:<\/strong>\u00a0Iraq is legally attempting to distinguish between the borders drawn by the Security Council under force majeure circumstances (in 1993) and the sovereign rights in areas not covered by precise demarcation, especially beyond point 162.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Second: Positions of States and Key Actors<\/strong> The Kuwaiti Position (Rejection and Adherence to International Resolutions):<\/strong> The Gulf Position (Full Solidarity):<\/strong> International Powers (Cautious Observation):<\/strong> Third: The Legal and Political Dimensions<\/strong><\/p>\n The Legal Dimension (The Federal Court Dilemma)<\/strong> The Political and Strategic Dimension<\/strong><\/p>\n The Grand Faw Port:<\/strong>\u00a0This project represents Iraq’s upcoming economic lifeline. Any restriction on the maritime borders means technically strangling the port, hence the importance of the deposited map to ensure a safe and deep navigational channel.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n National Sovereignty:<\/strong>\u00a0The Iraqi public and politicians view the border file as a matter of “national dignity,” making any concession by the Iraqi government political suicide.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Fourth: Future Scenarios<\/strong><\/p>\n Quiet Internationalization:<\/strong>\u00a0Both parties continuing to deposit memos with the United Nations to strengthen their legal position in case of future recourse to the International Court of Justice.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Bilateral Technical Negotiation:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the most likely path, where technical committees are formed to re-demarcate the maritime borders in a way that ensures the interests of both parties, away from media hype.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Regional Mediation:<\/strong>\u00a0The involvement of third parties to try to find a “win-win” formula concerning railway links and the joint management of ports.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n In conclusion,<\/strong>\u00a0the Iraqi map deposited with the United Nations is a legal cry aimed at correcting what Iraq sees as a “historical injustice” it suffered at a moment of weakness, and it is a political pressure card to ensure that its only window onto the Arabian Gulf is not closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The file of the Iraq-Kuwait borders is considered one of the most sensitive files in Iraqi diplomacy, especially following the recent developments represented by Iraq depositing official maps and documents with the United Nations to consolidate its vision regarding its maritime and land borders. This step is not merely an administrative procedure, but rather a sovereign declaration that carries within it long-term strategic and legal objectives. First: The Essence of the Iraqi Move (Depositing the Map) The Iraqi step is based on the desire to preserve Iraq’s remaining maritime outlet, especially in the Khor Abdullah and the Floating Dock (Al-Fasht) area. [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":47755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47756,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47754\/revisions\/47756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uomosul.edu.iq\/en\/rights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Iraqi step is based on the desire to preserve Iraq’s remaining maritime outlet, especially in the Khor Abdullah and the Floating Dock (Al-Fasht) area. Through this deposit, Iraq aims to:<\/p>\n\n
\nThe Iraqi move sparked varying reactions, which can be summarized in two fronts:<\/p>\n\n
\nKuwait considers the borders to be definitively demarcated under UN Security Council Resolution 833. It views any Iraqi attempt to reopen the discussion on “Fasht Al-Aij” or the navigational channels as a departure from international legitimacy. Kuwait relies on the policy of “fait accompli,” supported by previous Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nThe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states adopted a unified position supporting Kuwait, considering the security of Kuwait’s borders as part of Gulf security. Numerous statements were issued calling on Iraq to adhere to signed agreements, especially the agreement regulating navigation in Khor Abdullah, which was later annulled by the Iraqi Federal Court.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\nThe United States and Britain often content themselves with calling for “respect for international resolutions,” but they realize that the region’s stability requires bilateral understanding away from sharp military or legal escalation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nLegally, Iraq faces an internal and external challenge; the decision of the Supreme Federal Court regarding the unconstitutionality of the law ratifying the Khor Abdullah Agreement created a “contractual vacuum.” From the perspective of international law (the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties), states cannot absolve themselves of their international obligations using domestic legal arguments, which places the Iraqi negotiator in a delicate position.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n
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