Page 338 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

274 THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE ARABIAN GULF STATES
The relevant provisions of the agreement arc:
The boundary line between the two sections of the Zone is to be the line
which divides them into two equal parts and which begins from a point at
the mid eastern shore on the low-tide line, and ends at the western boundary
line of the Zone . . . (Art. I) 3
Without prejudice to the provisions of this agreement, the part lying to
the north of the line dividing the Partitioned Zone into two equal parts shall
be annexed to Kuwait as on integral part of its territory, and the part lying
to the south of the line . . . shall be annexed to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia . . . (Art. II)1
Each of the Contracting Parlies shall exercise the rights of administration,
legislation and defence over that part of the Partitioned Zone annexed to
his territory in the same manner exercised in his territory of origin while
observing other provisions of the agreement, and without prejudice to the
rights of the contracting parties to natural resources in the whole of the
Partitioned Zone. (Art. Ill)
The same rights exercised by each party over his annexed part of the
Zone also apply to the territorial sea which adjoins that part. For the
purpose of exploiting the natural resources in the Partitioned Zone, it
is agreed that the territorial sea adjoining that Zone shall be fixed at
‘six marine miles*.2 It is also agreed that the boundary line separating
the ‘territorial waters’ which adjoin the ‘Partitioned Zone* shall be
determined in future by agreement (Art. VII).
As regards the ‘northern boundary* of the submarine areas adjacent
to the Partitioned Zone, ‘it shall be delineated as if the Zone has not
been partitioned and without regard to the provisions of this agree­
ment*. And, ‘unless the two parties agree otherwise*, they ‘shall
exercise their equal rights’ in the exploitation of natural resources in
these submarine areas beyond the six-mile limit (Art. VIII).
The agreement does not alter or affect, in any way, the status of the
existing oil concessions in the Zone which shall continue in force
(Art. XI). And it guarantees freedom of work to citizens of both
parties in either part of the Partitioned Zone (Art. XV).
In order to safeguard the continued efforts of the two parties in ex­
ploiting the natural resources in the Partitioned Zone, ‘a joint perma­
nent Committee shall be set up . . .’ to which shall be entrusted such
functions. This Committee shall be composed of an equal number of
Kuwaitis and Saudis (Arts XVII-XIX).
The question of amending oil concessions or granting new oil con­
cessions in the Partitioned Zone, including its offshore area, shall be
subject to a joint decision by the two competent Ministers of Petroleum
(Art. XX).
1 The Arabic text of the agreement does not contain the above italicised words.
2 The adoption of the 6-mile limit for the zone is an exception to the official
I2-milc limit adopted by Saudi Arabia for her own territorial sea; sec below, p. 281.