Iranian troops and technicians who had arrived at Fauqa Field on 18 December and took control of Well #4 and raised the Iranian flag have cleared the site and withdrawn to the border. On 20 December, Iranian troops had moved 50 meters back from the well.
"The Iranian forces completely withdrew from the place where they were, close to Well 4," said Mohammed Shaya al-Sudani, governor of southern Iraqi province of Maysan. "They filled up and covered the trenches they had dug and occupied close to the well before they left, and are now back in their original position.” [AFP, 27 January]
Iraq and Iran both claim the oil field as their territory.
Have they actually "withdrawn to the border"? Has proper implementation of the Algiers agreement ceded this to Iraq?
ReplyDeleteOr is this representative of a demilitarization, being performed as a means of reducing tensions in the midst of talks and review of the Algiers agreement?
Not sure, Mark. No official announcement by the Iranians yet. I do not believe Iran has ceded this to Iraq. I believe the two countries need to hold talks and review the Algiers, otherwise tensions will exist always.
ReplyDelete