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 Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the ceasefire in Lebanon, hailing the international efforts that helped achieve it.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry hoped the ceasefire would lead to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, and ensure the safe return of the displaced to their homes.

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the ceasefire, commending all efforts that contributed to ending the conflict and expressed its hope for continued security and stability for Lebanon and its people under its national sovereignty.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation stressed the need for all parties to commit to the ceasefire agreement through the full implementation of Resolution 1701.

OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha underscored his full support for Lebanon’s stability and the right of its state to exercise its sovereignty across all Lebanese territories.

He called for humanitarian aid to meet the needs of those affected and for reconstructing what was destroyed in the war.

Moreover, he hoped that the ceasefire in Lebanon would pave the way for an immediate halt to the Israeli assault on Gaza and all occupied Palestinian territories.