About 200 Iraqi MPs push to scrap ‘humiliating' Kuwait Agreement
A majority of Iraqi lawmakers have backed the Federal Supreme Court's decision to annul the Khor Abdullah maritime agreement with Kuwait, with calls mounting for nationwide protests on Friday in support of the ruling.
MP Amer Abdul-Jabbar told Shafaq News that 194 out of 329 parliamentarians signed a petition submitted to the head of the Federal Court on Thursday, voicing full support for the court's September 2023 ruling that voided Iraq's 2013 ratification of the agreement.
He urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to implement the decision and called on Iraqis to stage peaceful demonstrations across the country. 'We demand the government comply with the court's ruling,' Abdul-Jabbar stated, stressing the need for a firm national stance.
A copy of the petition, obtained by Shafaq News, described the agreement as 'humiliating' and urged the government to deposit the ruling with the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It also called for reopening negotiations with Kuwait through a team of Iraqi technical experts—free from political influence—with talks to be held in Baghdad or a neutral third country.
This latest appeal follows a previous initiative signed by more than 100 lawmakers rejecting the agreement, which they labeled as degrading to the country.
The Khor Abdullah agreement, signed in 2012 and ratified by Iraq's Parliament under Law No. 42 in 2013, was designed to regulate maritime navigation between Iraq and Kuwait. It followed the post-war border demarcation outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 833 (1993). Article 6 of the agreement confirmed it did not alter the existing boundaries.
The Federal Court struck down the agreement on constitutional grounds, ruling that its ratification violated Article 61/4 of the Iraqi Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority for approving international treaties. The decision triggered widespread political and legal responses, including judicial resignations.
On Wednesday, Iraq's top judicial authority warned that the verdict could have broader implications, potentially affecting hundreds of international treaties ratified by Iraq over the past two decades.
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