URGENT: Iraq demands Kuwait to stop works in its Mubarak Port

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi government has called on the Kuwaiti government to stop its works to build the Mubarak Port on the Gulf, “till making sure that Iraq ’s interests won’t be affected and in order to protect the fraternal relations between the two countries.”   The Iraqi government’s position was expressed in a statement by the State Minister and the Official Spokesman of the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, copy of which was received by IraqiNews.com news agency.   “The Iraqi government is expressing its utmost anxiety towards the construction of Mubarak Port, among non-existence of necessary information and documents that would satisfy the Iraqi government that Iraq’s interests won’t be affected through its voyaging rights in Khor-Abdullah and the joint territorial waters, according to the norms of the International Law and the UN Security Council resolutions,” the statement stressed.   “The Iraqi government demands the Kuwaiti side to stop works in the construction of Mubarak Port , till confirmation that Iraq ’s rights in the voyage lines and the free and safe voyaging in the joint waters won’t be affected,” Dabbagh said in statement.   Kuwait had announced on April 6 th last the beginning of works to construct the Mubarak Port after one year of Iraq’s announcement of its intention to build its Grand Faw Port, whilst the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and the Development Minister, Ahmed al-Fahad, has stated that the project, construction of which was agreed upon with the South-Korean Hondai Company would be “friendly to environment.”   The Kuwait Ministry also confirmed that the project “includes major goals to achieve hopes and ambitions of the Kuwaiti people, who have always wished to build a port in the said strategic and active location, in order to make Kuwait a financial and trade center on both Regional and International levels.”   Noteworthy is that Iraq’s Transport Ministry had laid down the foundation stone for the Grand Faw Port’s project, designs of which point out to its compromise of a containers terminal stretching to 39 km and a pavement extending to 2,000 km , as well as a square container with an area of more than one million square meters, along with a field of multi-purpose area of 600,000 square meters , with a capacity of 99 million tons annually.   The Ministry had estimated the total cost for the construction of the said Port would reach 4 billions (b) and 400 million Euros, with the hope that the connection of the port, through the railways would link the Gulf area through the ports of Iraq and the ports of turkey in northern Europe .   SKH (FT)         620