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A view of the Umm Qasr port on the Khor Abdullah estuary, Iraq. Posted Jan. 18, 2016.(photo byFacebook/sdct1980)

Author:Sara al-Qaher Posted February 7, 2017

BAGHDAD Iraq is fighting a tide of dissent as itslawmakersaccusethe government of handing over the Khor Abdullah border canal to Kuwait in an agreement concluded by the countries joint committees.

TranslatorMohammad Khalil

TheCabinet's decisionsparked outrage Jan. 26, with some parliament membersand Cabinet sources claiming the move was part of a secret deal by which Iraq handed over Khor Abdullah as a gift to Kuwait, resulting in a crisis that government clarifications have failed toend.

An estuary, Khor Abdullah is at the northern end of the Persian Gulf off the shores of the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah and the Iraqi Al-Faw peninsula,extending to Khor al-Zubair in Umm Qasr port.

Disagreement over the rights to Bubiyanwere a major reason Iraq invaded Kuwait.

Following Iraqi President Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the UN Security Council in May 1993 adopted Resolution 833, demarcating the Iraq-Kuwait borders. A committee was formed of experts from 16 countries, including someformer Soviet republics, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Venezuela, Pakistan and Morocco. The committeewas charged with technical implementation of border demarcation between Iraq and Kuwait.

According to UN documents, thatcommittee concluded that Khor Abdullah was a vital canal for both countries. Then ajoint committee was formed to draft a bilateral agreement on the organization of navigation, and in 2013 the Iraqi Cabinet ratified the agreement and delivered it to the UN.

Over the past few years, Iraqi parliamentarianshave strongly contested the Baghdad governments approval of the agreement, which officially recognizesKuwaits right to establish Mubarak Al Kabeer port within the area shared by both nations, thus narrowing the ports on the Iraqi side.

Theres a secret deal between the Iraqi and Kuwaiti governments concerning Khor Abdullah. The clarifications offered by the Iraqi government in this regard are not persuasive, parliament member Aaliyah Nasif of the State of Law Coalition told Al-Monitor. She maintains Khor Abdullah was not included in Resolution 833, in legal or geographic terms.

According to Nasif, former foreign affairs and transportation ministers, as well as otherformer Cabinet members whom she refused to name, received bribes from the Kuwaiti government in return for ratifying the 2013 agreement.

Opponents of the deal contend thatceding Iraqs right to Khor Abdullah compromisesIraqi sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Khalid Al-Jarallah said in a news conference that his country did not encroach on a "single inch" of Iraqi territory.He condemned theaccusations, sayingthere had been no new developments or changes regarding the maritime border issue.

However, Dhafer al-Ajami,executive director ofGulf Monitoring Groupand a Kuwaiti national,told NRT News that Khor Abdullah and Umm Qasr belong to Kuwait, arguing that Khor Abdullahwas named after Sheikh Abdullah Bin Sabah of Kuwait, who died in 1813.

Some Iraqi officials blame former Prime MinisterNouri al-Malikis Cabinet, which they saysurrenderedIraqi territory to Kuwait.

Former Basra province parliament member Wael Abdul-Latif told Al-Monitor, Malikis Cabinet made a mistake on three occasions. First, the former Cabinet accepted demarcation according to the [Security Council] resolution, handing over regional water and land in addition to the Umm Qasr port city."

Second, he said, Iraq's government went along with Kuwait's plans to build theMubarak Al Kabeer porton the disputed Bubiyan Island, impeding Iraq's access and forcing it to use the Kuwaiti port.

"The third mistake was the agreement signed by the former transportation ministerdividing Khor Abdullah into two and narrowing Iraqi waterways adjacent to Iran and Kuwait," Abdul-Latif said, adding that heplansto file a lawsuit in maritime court disputing the legality of the Mubarak Al Kabeer port and the Khor Abdullah agreement.

As theagreement continues to fuelcontroversy, some maritime experts offered a different opinion thanthat of the politicians. One of those experts, Alaa Badran,told Al-Monitorthe agreement does not impedeIraq, since itdemarcates maritime borders so that navigation functions properly. Badran issecretary of the Marshes Committee ofthe Basra Provincial Council.

He further said that only part of the border adjacent to Umm Qasr and Bubiyan Island was takenunder the agreement, adding that Kuwait took a "taluk" line similar to that of Iran's, and therefore the agreement does not affect the Iraqi side. "Taluk" is an Iraqi maritime term referring to the centerline in the main waterway available for maritime navigation at the point where the water level starts to decrease upon reaching land borders.

The Iraqi parliament'sForeign Relations Committee is seeking to resolve the situation to everyone's satisfaction. Committee memberMithal al-Allusi told Al-Monitor that Iraq maintains good relations with Kuwait, but Iraqis discontent with the governments decisions could harm these relations in the future.Whenonecountry controls the lands and ports of another, he added, peace is unlikely.

Many observers believe Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis Cabinet will probably make the same mistake made during Malikis rule: ceding the maritime canal to Kuwait to preserve diplomatic relations and achieve short-term interestsat the expense of an angry Iraqi public.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/khor-abdullah-iraq-kuwait-persian-gulf.html

See the original post:
Controversial canal again sparks dispute in Iraq - Al-Monitor

Iraqs largest oil export terminal in Basra will stop operations for 24 hours starting at midnight today to get a new feeding pipeline, the state South Oil Company said. No details were provided as to whether the pipeline is a replacement for an existing one or it would increase the loading capacity of the terminal.

At the moment, Basra loads 1.8 million barrels daily. According to the South Oil Company, offshore loading, which takes place at three single-point moorings, will not be affected by the temporary suspension of Basra operations.

Iraq has been the main cause of worry for energy investors ever since OPEC agreed to cut its production in November last year, to stimulate an increase in oil prices. The cartels second-largest producer insisted it should be exempt from the agreement because of its dependence on oil revenues in the context of its fight against the Islamic State, but eventually agreed to a cut of 200,000 barrels per day.

Many expected Iraq to cheat on the deal, and these expectations were heightened after the country reported a daily export rate of 3.51 million bpd from the Basra terminal in December a record high. Still, Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said at the time he announced the export figure that Iraq is committed to cutting production as per the OPEC deal.

Related:Oil Markets On A Knife Edge Despite 91% OPEC Compliance

There has also been worry that the strained relations between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government will make it harder for Iraq to comply with its production cut commitment: the KRG is largely autonomous in its oil export decisions.

At the end of the first month of the six-month agreement, OPEC appears to have achieved a compliance rate of 91 percent, but this has not been enough to quench worries about the immediate future of oils fundamentals. Iraq is still producing 130,000 bpd above its target, a level of outstanding reductions that should be manageable to achieve, but it unlikely to continue fuelling doubts about the deals success.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Iraq's Biggest Oil Export Terminal Halting Operations - OilPrice.com

The Canadian Defense Ministry says it has received official approval from Iraqi authorities to supply Kurdish Peshmerga forces with light weapons, communication tools, defense equipment and medicine to help them fight Islamic State terrorists in Iraq.

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Canada had requested the Iraqi government to send an official endorsement on the arms delivery to the Kurdish forces and we have received Baghdads official endorsement, signed in December of last year, the Canadian Defense Ministrys Communications Advisor Dominique Tessie told Kurdish media outlet Xendan on Monday, Kurdistan 24 reported.

The deliveries, which aim to assist the Iraqi government and allied militias, including those led by the Kurds, to drive Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) out from Iraqi territory, are said to include anti-tank missiles, rifles, handguns, medical supplies, means of communications as well as optical and protective equipment.

"The acquisition of the equipment is under way, the ministry said in a statement on Monday, as cited by Sputnik, stressing that it is poised to hand over the items as quickly as possible, in line with suppliers ability to provide the quantities sought.

While no exact timeframe has been announced as to when the armaments will be delivered to Iraq, the bidding process has reportedly begun already. The ministry is currently working on adequate controls that would ensure the forwarded equipment will be used according to the stated objective.

Read more

Back in December, Canada pledged military aid to the Kurdish forces caught in a war with IS alongside Iraqi government, as its defense minister, Harjit Sajjan took a trip to the Kurdistan Region. In January, Daniel Le Bouthillier, spokesman for Canadas National Defense revealed the shipments total value will amount to $9,5 million, adding that Canadian authorities have been in search of potential suppliers.He also said the ministry was drafting contracts to safeguard the use of weapons to be signed by the Iraqi and Kurdish regional authorities.

READ MORE: Erdogans accusations of US supporting terrorists a parting shot for Obama

Canada is a member of the US-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq. Earlier, allegations that the US has been supplying arms to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) drew ire from its ally Turkey. In December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went as far as to accuse Washington of supporting terrorists in Syria.

We are your NATO ally. How on Earth can you support terrorist organizations and not us? Are these terrorist organizations your NATO allies? Erdogan said.

In its turn, Washington dismissed the claims as ludicrous, saying that it had not supplied any weapons or explosive devices to either YPG or the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), both of which are outlawed in Turkey.

The rest is here:
Canada to arm Kurdish forces fighting ISIS in Iraq reports - RT

BAGHDAD The U.S. embassy in Baghdad said on Monday it has limited the movement of its personnel after receiving "credible threats of possible attacks on hotels frequented by Westerners".

"As a reminder, U.S. citizens should maintain a heightened sense of security awareness and take appropriate measures to enhance their personal security at all times when living and working in Iraq," an emergency security message for U.S. citizens on the embassy's website said.

It did not give details on the nature of threat.

U.S. authorities advised citizens to avoid traveling to Iraq citing the risk of being kidnapped by armed political groups or criminal gangs and bombings by the group Islamic State.

Three defense contractors kidnapped in January 2016 in Baghdad and released a month later were the first Americans kidnapped in Iraq since U.S. troops pulled out in 2011.

Iraq is one of seven majority-Muslim countries that are subject to President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban, which Iraq's government has said is unfair.

The rest is here:
US Embassy in Iraq Reports Threat Against Baghdad Hotels - NBCNews.com

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 6, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 strikes in 18 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed five oil wellheads.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes destroyed nine oil tanker trucks, six oil wellheads and a pumpjack.

-- Near Raqqa, six strikes destroyed three tunnels, an artillery system, a vehicle bomb and an ISIL headquarters.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted nine strikes in 27 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraqs government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL-held buildings and damaged a tunnel.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building and a command-and-control node.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes destroyed 23 ISIL-held buildings, an ISIL headquarters and a front-end loader; and damaged 14 supply routes and a tunnel.

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed three bunkers.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a tactical vehicle and a vehicle bomb.

-- Near Tuz, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL-held buildings and a vehicle.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

More here:
Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq > U.S. DEPARTMENT ... - Department of Defense