Bahrain Launches Housing Project on Disputed Islands

Published July 30th, 2000 - 03:00 GMT

Bahrain has launched a housing project on the Hawar islands, which are at the center of a dispute with Qatar that is before the World Court.

Housing Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, quoted in Bahrain Tribune, said that 50 housing units would be completed in four months and that the basic infrastructure was being added.

Work has at the same time started to develop a tourist area on the Hawars, including a new hotel, golf course and chalets, said Sheikh Khaled, who also holds the municipalities and environment portfolios.

Bahrain aims to attract European tourists to the Hawars in the winter season and Gulf visitors during the summer, and plans to build nearby artificial islands.

On June 29th, the International Court of Justice in The Hague wound up a five-week public hearing into the longstanding territorial dispute between Gulf neighbors Qatar and Bahrain.

The case focuses on Qatar's claim to the Hawar islands and Fasht al-Dibel rocks, which have been held by Bahrain since the late 1930s, as well as Manama's claim to the Zubara strip on Qatar's west coast.