(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) complained to the UN that Teheran has raised the Iranian flag over part of the island of Abu Musa, which belongs to the UAE under the 1971 memorandum of understanding, and Teheran responded accusing the UAE of interfering in its internal affairs.
"The Government of the United Arab Emirates strongly protests against that step, which it considers to be a flagrant violation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that does not affect the legal status of the island," UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Zaki Nusseibeh wrote in a letter to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday.
The UAE "stresses that the 1971 memorandum of understanding did not transfer sovereignty over the island of Abu Musa or any part thereof to the Islamic Republic of Iran," she said, complaining that since 1980, Iran took measures on the island that "violate the MOU with a view to bringing the island under Iranian sovereignty." "The Government of the United Arab Emirates hereby calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to rescind those measures, immediately remove the Iranian flag and comply scrupulously with the 1971 memorandum of understanding," Nusseibeh said in her letter. She recalled that every year her Government calls on Iran, through the UN General Assembly, to agree that the question of the three "Arabian Gulf" islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa "should be referred to the International Court of Justice, unless the two countries can reach a negotiated solution within an agreed time frame." In a letter to the Secretary-General, Iranian Charge d'Affaires Hossein Dehghani responded to Nusseibeh reiterating Iran's "full sovereignty" over the three "Iranian islands," insisting that the decisions and measures undertaken there by Iranian officials have "always been conducted on the basis of the principles of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Therefore, he added, the content of Nusseibeh's letter is "deemed as interference in the internal affairs of Iran, which categorically rejects its provisions." He recalled that Teheran has "always pursued a policy of friendship and good-neighbourliness with all neighbouring countries, and in this context once again expresses its readiness to engage in bilateral talks with the United Arab Emirates, with a view to continuing to strengthen bilateral relations and removing any misunderstanding that may exist between the two countries." However, he stressed "it is obvious that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the said islands is not negotiable." He also took the opportunity to remind Nusseibeh that "Persian Gulf is the only true geographical designation for the body of water lying between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, and has been used from the dawn of history." He added that the UN use of "Persian Gulf should be respected by all and any use of fabricated names for this body of water, (including Arabian Gulf), is not acceptable and must be stopped."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.