US, Gulf States Urge Completion of Kuwait-Iraq Maritime Border Demarcation

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Craig Ruttle / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Craig Ruttle / POOL / AFP)
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US, Gulf States Urge Completion of Kuwait-Iraq Maritime Border Demarcation

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Craig Ruttle / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Craig Ruttle / POOL / AFP)

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States have called for the completion of the demarcation of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders "beyond marker number 162."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, GCC Foreign Ministers, and GCC Secretary General Jasem al-Budaiwi met in New York to celebrate the strategic importance of the historic ties among their countries.

After their meeting, they issued a joint statement urging the complete demarcation of the Kuwait-Iraq maritime boundary beyond boundary point 162.

The officials called on the Iraqi government to expeditiously resolve the domestic legal status of the 2012 Kuwait-Iraq Agreement to regulate maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah and ensure that the agreement remains in force.

They renewed their support for UNSC Resolution 2107 (2013) regarding the transfer of the file related to the repatriation of all Kuwaitis, including missing Kuwaitis, and the return of Kuwaiti property, including the national archives, to the UN Mission to Iraq (UNAMI).

The statement, issued Wednesday, expressed their hope that Iraq will continue cooperating to ensure progress in this file.

They called on Iraq and the UN to exert maximum effort to resolve all the issues.

The UN demarcated the borders between the two countries in 1993 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. However, this did not encompass the entirety of their maritime boundary, leaving the resolution of this matter to the oil-producing nations.

Furthermore, the GCC countries and the US reiterated their call for Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran has denied entry to several IAEA inspectors overseeing Tehran's nuclear activities.

The IAEA's Director-General, Rafael Grossi, described this move as "disproportionate and unprecedented."



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Attack on UNRWA School in Gaza

 Palestinians carry away the body of a person killed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians carry away the body of a person killed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Attack on UNRWA School in Gaza

 Palestinians carry away the body of a person killed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on July 17, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians carry away the body of a person killed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on July 17, 2024. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s targeting of the Al-Razi United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school in the Nuseirat refugee camp and its attack on the Attar area in Khan Younis in Gaza.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks were part of the Israeli war machine's series of violations against defenseless civilians.

The Kingdom reiterated its firm rejection of the ongoing Israeli genocidal crimes, calling for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring the protection of civilians, humanitarian facilities, and those working in them.

“The Kingdom holds the Israeli forces fully responsible for their continued breach of all international humanitarian and legal norms,” said the statement.

“Furthermore, the Kingdom emphasized the legal, humanitarian, and moral responsibility placed on the international community to activate mechanisms of international accountability and put an end to these ongoing violations of international law and legitimate resolutions by Israeli forces.”

Saudi Arabia warned that “the persistent failure to take these measures not only reflects the weakness and impotence of international institutions but could also lead to further consequences, undermining the foundations and credibility of international legitimacy, as well as our ability to safeguard regional and global security and stability in the future.”