Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, asserted that the complaint presented by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the U.N. on Tuesday over Iranian maritime violations in the split area divided between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia was similar to a notice, adding there could be another request for a U.N. intervention to stop the violations at a later time.
Al-Mouallimi told Asharq Al-Awsat in a telephone conversation from New York that the complaint presented by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, expresses Iran’s threatening violations of the sovereignty of both countries.
“The letter of complaint is not the first, as it was preceded by others. We have expressed in this letter how the Iranian military boats were threatening the sovereignties of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia along with the security and peace of the region, and this should be stopped,” Al-Mouallimi said.
The permanent missions of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had informed late on Tuesday the U.N. in their complaint letter about the repeated Iranian transgressions and assaults committed by the Iranian military boats over the waters of the submerged area adjacent to the split area divided between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Both countries have exclusive sovereign rights to explore and benefit from the area’s natural wealth.
Al-Mouallimi said the complaint is considered a simple “notice,” adding that if Iran commits other assaults in the future, the U.N. will be informed about the issue. “At the present moment, we have only informed the U.N. about these assaults and we have not asked for any particular measure, but we might later request a U.N. intervention,” the Saudi Ambassador said.
According to the document of the complaint, the last incident of these infringements was committed on April 2 by an Iranian vessel and two armed speedboats showing the Iranian flag. Three armed individuals were onboard of each of them. The other infringement was committed on April 21 by an Iranian Hendijan 1401 vessel.
The document also noted that the two vessels and the two boats had approached the Al-Dorra well No. 3 in the Al-Dorra field, a violation, which might lead to confrontations that threaten peace and security in the region.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also expressed in the complaint that both countries have exclusive rights to explore and benefit from the hydrocarbon wealth in the Al-Dorra field and the divided submerged area.
The document also said it asked that negotiations start between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as one party, and Iran as the other one in order to determine the maritime borders that separate the waters of the divided area.
Kuwaiti analyst Ayed al-Manna told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iranian party might be looking to separate Kuwait from Saudi Arabia in the issue of negotiations with Iran to demarcate the continental part divided between the three countries. Al-Manna said: “Kuwait cannot practically detach itself from Saudi Arabia in the negotiations with Iran.”
Iran refused to admit Kuwait’s rights of investment in the Al-Dora field, which it considers a continuation to its territories.
aawsat.com
