“Aside from freight companies, many of the national and international firms now working to refurbish our ports might leave Iraq and go in search of areas where they can do better,” he said.
The Iraqi government is pressing Kuwait to either reconsider building the port, or sign an agreement to jointly run the adjacent ports in the two countries. Bilateral committees set up earlier this year are still in talks, and Baghdad has said it will ask the United Nations to intervene if there is no resolution.
In a statement, Khaled al-Jarallah, under-secretary at the Kuwaiti foreign ministry, confirmed that the two governments were in communication.
“Kuwait is waiting for the final report from the Iraqi authorities concerning the findings and recommendations of a technical committee that has investigated the matter,” he said.
Jawad al-Bazuni, a politician with the State of Law party in Basra, warned that if the other side proved unresponsive, “the last resort will be going to the UN, as well as barring Kuwaiti vessels from our [maritime] borders, which will slow down the operation of Kuwaiti ports”.
Militant groups in southern Iraq have threatened to attack targets inside Kuwait if the port is completed and alternative employment is not created for workers in Basra.
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