Kuwaiti Oil Minister: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia Have 'Exclusive Rights' in Durra Gas Field

The Durra gas field. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Durra gas field. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Kuwaiti Oil Minister: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia Have 'Exclusive Rights' in Durra Gas Field

The Durra gas field. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Durra gas field. Asharq Al-Awsat

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have "exclusive rights" in the Durra gas field in the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak said on Sunday, and he called on Iran to validate its claim to the field by demarcating its own maritime borders first.

Iran has previously said it has a stake in the field and called a Saudi-Kuwaiti agreement signed last year to develop it "illegal".

"Until this moment, this is an exclusive right of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in the Durra field, and whoever has a claim must start demarcating the borders. And if it has a right, it will take it according to the rules of international law," Al Barrak said in an interview with Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya television.

"The other side has claims that are not based on a clear demarcation of the maritime borders," he added, referring to Iran.

There is no room for negotiations with Iran over Durra until it demarcates its own maritime borders in accordance with international laws, the minister said.

The minister insisted Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are “one team” when it comes to the gas field, which will be developed “for the benefit of both countries.”



World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The World Bank announced on Thursday that it was redirecting funds originally earmarked for development programs in Lebanon towards emergency aid for people displaced by Israeli bombardment of the country.

"The World Bank is activating emergency response plans to be able to repurpose resources in the portfolio to respond to the urgent needs of people in Lebanon," said a statement from the US-based multilateral institution.

The multilateral institution currently has $1.5 billion in funding for programs in Lebanon. Part of this amount will be redirected.

Since September 23, more than 1,000 people have been killed in an Israeli air-and-ground campaign on Lebanon that has targeted armed group Hezbollah in the south and east of the country, with strikes expanding to include the capital Beirut.

Thousands have been displaced since the bombing began, and the funds would be used to provide aid to those populations, the World Bank said.

"This would include emergency support to displaced people that could be deployed through a digital platform the World Bank helped put in place during the Covid epidemic," the statement said.