UAE demands fundamental changes for its borders with Saudi Arabia

A high ranking United Arab Emirates UAE official said that the UAE wants to introduce fundamental changes to parts of the border agreement with Saudi Arabia because "they have become inapplicable."

The UAE news agency quoted the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs and chairman of the permanent committee for borders between the UAE, Hamdan Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, as saying that his country considers that parts of an agreement signed in 1974 have become inapplicable, noting that Abu Dhabi calls for the introduction of fundamental changes for these parts. The agency has not explained the nature of the "fundamental" changes demanded by the UAE.

Sheikh Hamdan said that this position is not new, rather it is the same position ever expressed by the UAE since 1975, stressing his country's care to "reach a pleasing satisfactory (agreement) as soon as possible." The agency said that dialogue over the border issues will be completed between the two states during a visit to be carried out by Sheikh Hamdan to the kingdom at the invitation of the Saudi minister of the interior Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.

In August 1974 the two sides signed in Jeddah an agreement stating that Riyadh will give up demands on al-Breimi oases, while on the other side, Abu Dhabi gave up Khour al-Adeed which includes a very oil rich and gas coastal area at a length of 25 km separating between the lands of Abu Dhabi and Qatar.