Khor Abdullah is at stake: A constitutional battle awaits resolution in Parliament.
Khor Abdullah is at stake: A constitutional battle awaits resolution in Parliament.
7-9-2025
Information/Baghdad…
Following a meeting of the three presidencies, the federal government has thrown the ball into parliament’s court regarding the Khor Abdullah issue. The parliament will have the authority to pass the agreement with Kuwait or make amendments to it, which requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber. This may not be possible, especially at the current time, when electoral campaigning by MPs and various figures is vying for the upper hand, rendering parliament ineffective.
The recent period has witnessed a decline in parliamentary performance, with sessions not being held despite the agenda being presented on multiple occasions. Furthermore, there has been a call for an extraordinary session to discuss Zionist attacks and violations of Iraqi sovereignty. However, the Council has failed to convene the session, and consequently, the Khor Abdullah issue may be postponed indefinitely.
Former MP Hassan Faddam told Al-Maalouma that “the Khor Abdullah file is directly and fundamentally linked to the law, which is within the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives, and not within the purview of the three presidencies. The decision related to this creek, which was overturned by the Federal Court, must be returned to the House of Representatives for redrafting and re-voting.” He ruled out that “the House would re-vote on the law again during the current parliamentary session,” indicating at the same time that “the House is no longer able to discuss and pass laws or redraft them again, and therefore the issue related to Khor Abdullah will remain as it is and the decision will be postponed until the next parliamentary session.”
On the other hand, independent politician Abbas Al-Maliki confirmed to Al-Maalouma that “the government has not taken a clear position on the Khor Abdullah issue and there are many question marks about its position on Iraq’s right to its territorial waters, including Khor Abdullah. In addition, there are political parties linked to foreign countries that want them to interfere in internal affairs with the aim of changing the political system to serve their interests. It is not unlikely that Kuwaiti political money will enter the Khor Abdullah issue.” He pointed out that “there are political parties that consider themselves not concerned with the southern border issue, as they believe that the Khor Abdullah issue concerns the people of the south and the Shiites in particular and do not care about it, especially the Sunni and Kurdish components, as they have not been heard to take a clear position on the Khor Abdullah issue, as if the issue does not concern them.”
In a related development, independent MP Bassem Naghamish explained to Al-Maalouma that “the decision of the three presidencies regarding the agreement was a good step and expected by everyone, as the response of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to the demands of the people and representatives was welcome, and there is a campaign to collect signatures to present the agreement in Parliament.” He stressed that “approval of it requires making fundamental amendments in line with the interests and sovereignty of the Iraqi state and taking into account its economic and political dimensions, as passing the agreement in its current form is unlikely, especially in light of the approaching election date, and thus the file may be postponed to the next parliamentary session.”
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