Iraqi MPs reject Khor Abdullah deal

Shafaq News – Baghdad/Kuwait

Over 100 Iraqi lawmakers have signed a petition rejecting the maritime agreement with Kuwait over Khor Abdullah, denouncing it as "humiliating."

During a press conference at the Council of Representatives on Saturday, MP Amer Abduljabbar urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to enforce the Federal Supreme Court ruling issued on September 4, 2023, which annulled the 2013 ratification law on constitutional grounds. Lawmakers also called for the verdict to be formally registered with the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization.

In addition to enforcing the court decision, the petition called for fresh negotiations with Kuwait led by a team of maritime experts free from political influence. Abduljabbar said the talks should take place in Baghdad or a neutral third country, aligned with international norms.

The Supreme Court had invalidated the agreement for violating Article 61/4 of the Iraqi Constitution, which requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority to approve international treaties. Both President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister al-Sudani later submitted separate appeals asking the court to reconsider its decision and restore the agreement.

Signed in 2013, the Khor Abdullah agreement aimed to regulate maritime navigation between Iraq and Kuwait in the northern Gulf. Its annulment in 2023 sparked widespread political backlash, including resignations within Iraq’s judiciary and renewed calls from Parliament to renegotiate the terms.