Angry debate has erupted in Iraq over the Khor Abdullah waterway, disputed territory on the border with Kuwait.
Many Iraqis oppose what they see as their government’s apparent acquiescence to de facto Kuwaiti control of the waterway, which was among the unresolved issues following Iraq’s invasion of its neighbor in 1990.
Two weeks after documents were leaked showing that Kuwait effectively has possession of the canal, the thorny issue continues to provoke tensions.
Following the revelations, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has defended a 2013 Maritime Navigation Deal with Kuwait which regulated use of the canal, but whose details remain shady.
The move has proved highly unpopular with many across Iraqi society.
The Khor Abdullah waterway is of considerable economic importance for Iraq, representing its only passageway into the Gulf, through which 80 percent of its imports arrive.
Many in the southernmost Iraqi town of Basra have taken to the streets to protest the government’s apparent surrender of what they see as sovereign Iraqi land:
حشود كبيرة من المتظاهرين امام ميناء المعقل في #البصرة ترفض بيع خور عبد الله.#خور_عبدالله_عراقي #مظاهرات_العراق #الكويت pic.twitter.com/QlJj88rZmg
— Heba A (@heba9478) February 3, 2017
Large crowds of demonstrators in front of al-Maqal port in #Basra, refusing the sale of Khor Abdullah.
Meanwhile, the hashtag “Khor Abdullah is Iraqi” has been trending:
#خور_عبدالله_عراقي
— علي الكرعاوي (@Alialkrawwi) February 5, 2017
عشائر البصرة تستعد للانتفاضة الكبرى pic.twitter.com/IL2iwBZz3b
#Khor_Abdullah_is_Iraqi The tribes of Basra are ready for a great uprising
#خور_عبدالله_عراقي
— Nazlı نازلي Tarzi (@NazliTarzi) February 9, 2017
Anger has spread across #Iraq over gov's apparent agreement to concede ownership of Khor Abdullah waterway 2 #Kuwait https://t.co/Z5aBz1mJ3M
Avid supporters of Iraq’s claim to the waterway include the commander of the Shia militia Asa’ib Ahl al-Haw, Qais al-Khazali.
#خور_عبدالله_عراقي ، وسيبقى عراقي.
— الشيخ قيس الخزعلي (@Qais_alkhazali) January 29, 2017
Some Iraqis have even resorted to making jibes about Kuwait’s size in the war of words over the canal:
#خور_عبدالله_كويتي بل #خور_عبدالله_عراقي
— د. بـنـت ذي قــار (@bnt_313) February 5, 2017
هل تعلم اذا رفعت صوت المسجل بالكويت اللي كاعدين بالبصره يضوجون ويصيحون عليك#احجي_بعد
Do you know if I you raised the speaker volume in Kuwait, the people of Basra will get annoyed and shout at you?
#خور_عبدالله_كويتي بل #خور_عبدالله_عراقي
— د. بـنـت ذي قــار (@bnt_313) February 5, 2017
2. نصف سكان الارض يحسدون طلاب الكويت لان تاريخهم صفحه وجغرافيتهم شارعين#احجي_بعد
Most of the citizens of Earth are jealous of the students of Kuwait, because their history is a page long and their geography is only two streets.
#خور_عبدالله_عراقي غصبن على ابهاتكم يالكويت .
— امير الكربلائي (@ameerameer5667) February 4, 2017
In spite of your splendors, Kuwait, #Khor_Abdullah_is_Iraqi
Many Iraqi politicians are among those who question what they call al-Abadi’s surrender of Iraqi sovereignty, through his support for the 2013 agreement.
In one of the more dramatic statements of the dispute so far, an Iraqi MP has declared that the entirety of Kuwait belongs to Iraq.
“Maps from the Turkish rule era and which are currently in Britain confirm that Kuwait is entirely part of the Iraqi territory,” Awatef Neema of the al-Islah party has claimed.
“It is the duty of the Iraqi government to maintain Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she concluded, referring to the waterway.
Meanwhile, Kuwait has called for a parliamentary session later this month to discuss what it sees as “provocative statements” from the Iraqi side.
RA
