Bahrain stresses its right to Hawar islands in fight with Qatar

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry on Tuesday asserted its "legitimate rights" to carry out construction projects in the Hawar islands, under dispute with Qatar.

In a statement to the Gulf News Agency, a spokesman for the ministry said the Hawar islands are "an integral part of the state of Bahrain," adding that Hawar island had not been before part of the state of Qatar. The spokesman said that Bahrain's position regarding the question of the islands is in compliance with the Saudi position in that "each country should have full sovereignty over its territories and regional waters."

On June 25, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani said that Bahrain has no right to erect a bridge linking it to Hawar islands, replying to statements made by a spokesman for the Bahraini Foreign Ministry who said that his country intends to erect a 22.5 km road linking it to Hawar islands and that Bahrain will build a small airport on one of the main island of Hawar.

The Bahraini spokesman asserted on Tuesday that the 82 documents submitted by Qatar to the International Court of Justice in the Hague are "forged " documents. He added that the court asked Qatar "to reply to the evidence which proves that the documents are false in a time not to exceed September 30, 1998."

Relations between the two countries have worsened in recent years over disputes concerning the Hawar islands. The case was submitted to the International Court of Justice.

The two states, moreover, are also disputing over "Facht al-Duouble" district, controlled by Bahrain. Experts believe the region is rich in gas and oil. Manama, however, asks for maintaining sovereignty over al-Zeyara district located on the coast of Qatar.