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Iraq, Kuwait Chart a New Path

Settling the borders issue as a sine qua non condition for normalization between Kuwait and Iraq.
Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (back L) and his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki (back R) look on as Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheik Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (front L) and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari sign agreements in Baghdad, June 12, 2013.  REUTERS/Karim Kadim/Pool  (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10L6W

The outcome of the Kuwaiti prime minister's [Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah] visit to Baghdad [June 12] constitutes a breakthrough in the relations between the two countries. This occurred two months after Iraq’s acceptance of a final demarcation of the borders between the two countries.

This was a key condition for the Kuwaitis. Indeed, Iraq’s revisionist policy vis-a-vis Kuwait — considering the latter in the past was its 19th province — had already poisoned the relations between the two a long time before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. It was a haunting problem for the Kuwaitis.

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