Territorial disputes in the Persian Gulf
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This article deals with
Background
Before the oil era, the Persian Gulf states made little effort to delineate their territories. Members of Arab tribes felt loyalty to their tribe or shaykh and tended to roam across the Arabian desert according to the needs of their flocks. Official boundaries meant little, and the concept of allegiance to a distinct political unit was absent. Organized authority was confined to ports and oases. Superintended by the British government, the boundaries of Kuwait, Iraq and the province of Al-Hasa were delineated at Uqair in 1922. The signing of the first oil concessions in the 1930s brought a fresh impetus to the process. Inland boundaries were never properly demarcated, leaving opportunities for contention, especially in areas of the most valuable oil deposits. Until 1971, British-led forces maintained peace and order in the Gulf, and British officials arbitrated local quarrels. After the withdrawal of these forces and officials, old territorial claims and suppressed tribal animosities resurfaced. The concept of the modern state — introduced into the Persian Gulf region by the European powers — and the sudden importance of boundaries to define ownership of oil deposits kindled acute territorial disputes.[1]
Iranian claims on Bahrain
Iran has often laid claim to
Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb
In 1971, after the British left the area Iranian forces claimed the islands of
Bahrain and Qatar
Starting in 1936, Qatar and Bahrain were involved in territorial disputes over the Hawar Islands, Fasht Al Azm, Fasht Dibal, Qit'at Jaradah, and Zubarah. The most substantial dispute was over Fasht Dibal in 1985, after Bahrain began constructing fortifications on the island. Qatar considered the construction to be a violation of an existing agreement made in 1978.[4] In April 1986, Qatari troops arrived on the island via helicopter and declared it a 'restricted zone'. They seized several Bahraini officials and 29 construction workers hired by the Dutch contracting company Ballast Nedam.[5][4] On 12 May 1986, following protests by the Netherlands and mediation by several GCC member states, Bahrain and Qatar reached a settlement, after which the foreign workers were released. Qatari troops evacuated the island on 15 June.[5]
In 1991 the dispute flared up again after Qatar instituted proceedings to let the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, decide whether it had jurisdiction. The two countries exchanged complaints that their respective naval vessels had harassed the other's shipping in disputed waters.[1] In 1996, Bahrain boycotted the GCC summit hosted in Qatar, claiming that the last summit held in Qatar in 1990 was used as a platform to reiterate their territorial claims to the other GCC states. They also cited the 1986 Qatari incursion in Fasht Dibal as a reason for not attending.[6] The disputes were resolved by the International Court of Justice on 16 March 2001, awarding both sides equal amounts of land, giving Bahrain the Hawar Islands (excluding the Janan Island), Qit'at Jaradah, and Fasht Al Azm, with Qatar receiving Zubarah, Fasht Dibal, and the Janan Island.[7]
Iraq and Kuwait
As one pretext for his invasion of Kuwait in 1990,
The boundary issue again arose when the
In August 1991, Kuwait charged that a force of Iraqis, backed by gunboats, had attacked Bubiyan but had been repulsed and many of the invaders captured. UN investigators found that the Iraqis had come from fishing boats and had probably been scavenging for military supplies abandoned after the Persian Gulf War. Kuwait was suspected of having exaggerated the incident to underscore its need for international support against ongoing Iraqi hostility.[1]
Following the 2004 return of sovereignty to Iraq, Kuwait negotiated a 5 km "Area of Separation" agreement with the government of Iraq as part of Resolution 833.[8] That agreement expired in 2016, however neither government has moved military forces into the zone. Tensions have arisen over disputes concerning navigable waters covered under the agreement including the Khor Abdullah estuary.[9]
Smaller incidents have also arisen, primarily along the major road joining the two countries at the border control station known as "K Crossing."[10] These include small protests that included small arms fire,[11] militant threats to retaliate for "Kuwaiti incursions",[12] and "The Pajero Incident." The Pajero Incident was a reported approach of the border crossing station by several operatives maneuvering around a nearby range complex.[13] The incident got its name from the vehicle carrying the team, commonly used in Kuwait called the Pajero.[14] This incident was reportedly precipitated by a failure in navigation by an Operator known as "Harder." While no hostilities arose, several near accidents were caused as "Zeh" police vehicles attempted to respond at high speed. The Kuwaiti Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has reported that IS poses no threat to the Kuwaiti border.[15]
United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
Two disputes exist between the two countries over the territorial waters claimed through the land owned by Saudi Arabia between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It is believed that the eastward side infringes into UAE territorial waters and has led to minor skirmishes between the two countries.[16]
The second dispute lies in the unusual extent of these waters from the Saudi coastline which explains how the above area extends further than expected by the Emiratis and is justified by Saudi Arabia. While no map exist on the internet, it is believed a corridor exists along the Qatari/Emirati maritime boundary on the Qatari side extending up to the Iranian maritime boundary.[17] This has been alluded to in documents submitted to the United Nations.[18] It would be expected that Iran would also dispute any corridor directly linking them to Saudi Arabia.
Al Buraimi
A particularly long and acrimonious disagreement involved claims over the
Musandam Peninsula
Earlier, the physical separation of the southern portion of Oman from its territory on the Musandam Peninsula was a source of friction between Oman and the various neighboring emirates that became the UAE in 1971. Differences over the disputed territory appeared to have subsided after the onset of the Iran–Iraq War in 1980.[1]
See also
- Persian Gulf naming dispute
- Arab League–Iran relations
- Middle East
- Foreign relations of Iran
- Foreign relations of Iraq
- Foreign relations of Kuwait
- Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia
- Foreign relations of Bahrain
- Foreign relations of Qatar
- Foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates
- Foreign relations of Oman
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Territorial Disputes." United Arab Emirates country study. Helen Chapin Metz, ed. Library of Congress, Federal Research Division (January 1993). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK) Archived 29 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Safa Haeri, [1]
- ^ ISBN 978-0521466356.
- ^ ISBN 978-0472087075.
- ^ Thomas Hussain (7 December 1996). "Dispute overshadows Gulf Arabs meeting". UPI. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- S2CID 143771337.
- ^ UN Resolution 833, 3/31/2017, http://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f1594.html?bcsi-ac-493c352199c1ffb5=27EFE3BB00000005wOxHMHkeLiWzWMvgshoAnurXe0AIAAAABQAAABswBwCAcAAAAAAAADw5AAA=
- ^ Middle East Observer, "Kuwait, Iraq embroiled in new territorial dispute", 3/31/2017, https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2017/02/02/kuwait-iraq-embroiled-in-new-territorial-dispute/
- ^ Stripes, "K-Crossing, Kuwait, Japan based soldiers watch for camels and contraband", 3/31/17, https://www.stripes.com/news/crossing-kuwait-japan-based-soldiers-watch-for-camels-and-contraband-1.91365#.WN0ERmbJXec
- ^ VOA News, "Shots fired at Iraq, Kuwait Border Protest", 3/31/17, http://www.voanews.com/a/shots-iraq-kuwait-border-protest/1619951.html
- ^ Kuwaiti Times, "Iraqi Militant Group Threatens Kuwait Border Agreement", 3/31/17, http://news.kuwaittimes.net/iraqi-militant-group-threatens-kuwait-border-agreement/
- ^ Global Security, "Udairi Range Complex", 3/31/17, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/udairi.htm
- ^ Mitsubishi Motors, "Pajero Showroom", 3/31/17, http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/showroom/pajero/
- ^ Kuwaiti Times, "IS Poses No Threat, Kuwaiti Interior Ministry Police Says", 3/31/17, http://news.kuwaittimes.net/poses-no-threat-kuwait-interior-ministry-police-lieutenant-trial-joining-insurgent-groups/
- ^ United Arab Emirates - Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Note No 3/6/2-256" (PDF). United Nations.
- ^ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Ministry of Interior. "Joint Minutes on the land and maritime boundaries to the Agreement of 4 December 1965 between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the delimitation of the offshore and land boundaries - 5 July 2008" (PDF). United Nations.
- ^ United Arab Emirates - Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Communication dated 17 November 2011" (PDF). United Nations.
...The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a maritime zone which extends to the middle of the Arabian Gulf...
- ISBN 978-1-84885-818-3.