Baghdad: Presidential candidate and legal expert, Advisor Salem Hawas, has underscored the significance of state sovereignty concerning airspace, stressing that any unauthorized foreign overflight represents a breach of international law.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Advisor Hawas highlighted that airspace is fundamentally part of a nation's sovereignty, comparable to land territory and territorial waters, a principle well-established in international law. In a press release, Hawas referenced Article (3) of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which mandates that government or military aircraft cannot fly over or land in another state's territory without explicit permission or prior agreement. This stipulation, he argued, suggests that any unauthorized military overflights infringe upon a state's air sovereignty and violate international law.

Furthermore, Advisor Hawas noted the alignment of the Iraqi constitution with these international principles. He elaborated that Article (1) of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution declares Iraq as an independent and sovereign state, and Article (109) mandates federal authorities to protect Iraq's unity and sovereignty. The pressing concern, he added, arises from frequent reports of American and Israeli warplanes in Iraqi airspace, prompting legal inquiries into whether these flights occur under sanctioned agreements that respect Iraq's national sovereignty.