Border Disputes in International Relations (Arabian Peninsula) PDF

Border disputes in international relations (Arabian Peninsula) Topic Two Dr. Bashir AbulQaraya Border disputes in international relations (Arabian Peninsula) Comparative analysis of the eight cases The significance of border dispute...

Border disputes in international relations (Arabian Peninsula) Topic Two Dr. Bashir AbulQaraya Border disputes in international relations (Arabian Peninsula) Comparative analysis of the eight cases The significance of border disputes Historical lineage of contested borders Iran and the United Arab Emirates A second example of Bilateral settlement  Comparative analysis of the eight cases (1/2) Three factors are addressed in this regard: historical lineage, contested issues, and mediators. The basis for progress in the disputes that have been resolved through interstate negotiations is also explored and the similarities are emphasized so as: To allow more general patterns to emerge from the territorial challenges made by the states in the region, though differences are acknowledged. The eight disputes involve the following sets of actors: Saudi Arabia and Qatar, over approximately fifteen miles of territory; Comparative analysis of the eight cases (2/2) Saudi Arabia and Yemen, over land near the old division of North and South Yemen; Iran and the UAE, over the islands of Abu Musa and theTunbs; Bahrain and Qatar, over the Hawar Islands and surrounding reefs; Iraq and Kuwait, over the islands of Warba and Bubiyan, and UmmalQasr; Oman and Yemen (finalized in May 1997); Oman and the UAE (settled in April 1993); Saudi Arabia and Oman (finalized in 1995).  The significance of border disputes Some of these disputes appear relatively insignificant; However, against the backdrop of regional and peninsular politics since the end of the Gulf War, they assume much more significance, and The status of international boundaries for future relations among the Arabian Peninsula countries is painted in starker colours.  Historical lineage of contested borders Territorial disputes on the Arabian Peninsula are largely rooted in the legacies of: Colonialism. Foreign intervention. Iran and the United Arab Emirates (1/8) Iran directly challenged the UAE on the status of the island of Abu Musa when it re-asserted claims to the entire area and refused to negotiate regarding its administration. There is a potential economic value attached to Abu Musa, but the imponance of the three islands, is in the strategic value of their location at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (2/8) The military forces of the shah of Iran invaded and occupied Abu Musa in 1971. The subsequent treaty signed with the sheikdom of Sharjah, which claimed the island, contained two key provisions: income from natural resources found on the island were to be divided equally between Iran and Sharjah, and Iranian forces were to be stationed on part of the island. At that time, Iran also annexed the islands of Tunb al Kubra and Tunb al Sugra.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (3/8) In a bid to extend its control over Abu Musa, Iranian forces intensified their occupation in March 1992, deponed Arab expatriates employed in the basic industries there, and closed several essential services, such as a desalination plant. Iran refused to discuss the matter with the government in Abu Dhabi on the grounds that the 1971 pact was with Sharjah, before the UAE came into being. The government in Teheran did send a delegation to Abu Dhabi in 1992 to explore the possibility of ending the matter, but talks broke down within two days.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (4/8) The UAE demanded that Iran end its 'occupation' of the Tunb islands as a starting point for settling the issue of 'sovereignty' over Abu Musa. In a speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations in September 1992, the Emirates' foreign minister called the affair a 'flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the UAE' over the three islands. In July 1998, the UAE asked Kofi Anan, the secretary- general of the United Nations, to confirm the position taken by the GCC in June: that Iran must end its 'occupation' of Abu Musa and the Tunbs peacefully or that the case be referred to the ICJ.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (5/8) The international crisis did little to promote the GCC as a real and effective Arab counterweight to Iran. Peninsula institutional support for the territorial claims made by the UAE consisted of a series of rhetorical pronouncements that characterized the Iranian occupation of the three islands as a threat to regional security. They called for an end to the occupation and the reassertion of the Emirates' sovereignty over the islands and pled for a peaceful settlement to the dispute. At times, Iran replied with an offer to open bilateral negotiations with the UAE, and thereby detach the matter from international arbitration.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (6/8) In March 1998, for example, it claimed it was ready to resume direct talks with the UAE: Iran expects the GCC to persuade the UAE to prepare the ground for initiating joint cooperation and motivate that country to reopen the door for bilateral negotiations. Iranian officials also acknowledged the importance of security in the Gulf and hinted to the member states of the GCC that the United States military presence in the area was a far greater obstacle to region al stability than Iran's occupation of the disputed islands.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (7/8) Mostly, however, the government in Teheran denounced statements that questioned its territorial claims and characterized the three islands as 'inseparable parts of lran' or as 'integral parts of lran's territory. Because it is linked to matters of status and prestige, it is a stance that plays to the nationalist sentiments of Iranian publics. Indeed, in early 1999, Iran moved to strengthen its presence by inaugurating a new municipal council, or town hall, on Abu Musa and conducting military exercises in the waters near the island.  Iran and the United Arab Emirates (8/8) The UAE continues to affirm its sovereign rights, to lodge protests in the United Nations and the Arab League over Iranian policies directed toward the islands, to insist the matter be referred to the ICJ, and to call on Teheran to adhere to the 'memo of understanding' signed in 1971. A second example of Bilateral settlement A second example of a bilateral settlement is the April 1992 Omani UAE agreement to open borders and to facilitate the movement of their citizens across them. Oman and Saudi Arabia also signed documents in 1995 that finalized the demarcation of their joint border and thereby completed the discussions that emerged as part of the initial agreement signed in 1990.