Basra: Protests outside the Kuwaiti consulate in rejection of the Khor Abdullah agreement
Basra: Protests outside the Kuwaiti consulate in rejection of the Khor Abdullah agreement
2025-08-29 08:47
Shafaq News – Basra
Basra Governorate witnessed a large demonstration on Friday in front of the Kuwaiti consulate building, attended by hundreds of citizens, to denounce the Khor Abdullah Maritime Agreement.
According to a Shafaq News Agency correspondent, the demonstrators considered the agreement a “serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” stressing that the people would not accept any concessions regarding their borders or territorial waters.
The protesters called on the federal government to take a bold and clear stance that aligns with the aspirations of the Iraqi street and reflects its will. They noted that the silence of official bodies or their reluctance to address this sensitive issue opens the door to further popular escalation.
For his part, Ali al-Abadi, a representative of the demonstration, told Shafaq News Agency, “The Khor Abdullah issue continues to provoke a sharp division between the popular and official positions. The masses see this agreement as a humiliation of Iraq and a violation of its maritime borders, while the government treats it as an obligation imposed by Security Council Resolution No. 833 of 1993.”
Al-Abadi added, “Continuing to ignore the voices of the protesters will lead to unpredictable consequences, and officials must realize that the angry masses may resort to more drastic measures if their legitimate demands are not met.”
He pointed out that “the Khor Abdullah issue is not merely a border dispute, but rather represents a true test of the state’s commitment to protecting the rights of its citizens and its national sovereignty. Therefore, we call on political and parliamentary forces to unify their stance and push for the cancellation or amendment of the agreement in a way that preserves Iraq’s full rights to its territorial waters.”
The Iraqi Council of Ministers approved the draft ratification law at the end of 2012, and the House of Representatives approved it by a simple majority under Law No. (42) of 2013, and then it was published in the Iraqi Gazette, Issue No. (4299) dated 11/25/2013.
Meanwhile, Federal Supreme Court Resolution No. 105/Federal/2023 (consolidated with Resolution 194) declares Law No. 42 of 2013 ratifying the agreement regulating maritime navigation in the Khor Abdullah Strait between Iraq and Kuwait unconstitutional. The ruling was based on the fact that the ratification procedures violated constitutional requirements, as the approval of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House of Representatives was not obtained, as stipulated in Article 61/Fourth of the Iraqi Constitution of 2005.
Iraqis consider the agreement a “surrender of sovereignty” and a “squandering of maritime rights,” particularly given the growing talk of reducing Iraq’s share of the waterway. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government defended the agreement, asserting that it serves the interests of both countries and ends chronic tensions in the region.
shafaq.com
