Saudi Arabia and Kuwait approved maps demarcating their maritime borders in Stockholm on January 30th, according to the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA on January 31st.
The two OPEC producers had reached an agreement over maritime borders in July, more than three decades after reaching an accord on land borders, including the division of crude reserves in the Neutral Zone.
The finalization of the deal is expected to ease the way for discussions over border disputes with Iran.
Portions of the Gulf waters have been contested by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran, with Tehran causing a brief storm of controversy in May 2000 when Riyadh and Kuwait diplomatically protested its drilling on the offshore al-Dorra field.
Iran subsequently stopped drilling, but insisted that it did so because it had completed its work and that Tehran was acting within international law and working within its territorial waters.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef also said on February 1st that he would ink a security pact with Iran in February, in a sign of improving relations between the two nations.
The security agreement, to be signed in Tehran, centers on fighting crime, terrorism and drug trafficking and is not intended as a regional defense pact.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
