Baghdad: The Parliamentary Legal Committee revealed the formation of a group known as the “Rejecting Third” within the House of Representatives. This development comes amid widespread parliamentary disapproval of the Khor Abdullah Agreement.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, committee member MP Raed Al-Maliki announced that more than 112 MPs have officially signed a statement rejecting the Khor Abdullah Agreement. These MPs form the “Rejecting Third” in Parliament, possessing the capacity to vote on laws with a two-thirds majority out of a total of 329 MPs. They have the power to block or reject any legislative proposal that fails to protect Iraq’s sovereignty or serve the national interest.

He further explained that the Federal Court’s decision declaring the Khor Abdullah Agreement unconstitutional has nullified the agreement legally. However, the government’s plan to resubmit the agreement to the House of Representatives requires it to be presented by the Council of Ministers as a draft law, which would then need legislative approval from Parliament. The Legal Committee member emphasized that Parliament will not consider including the agreement on its agenda unless it is submitted as a new draft law by the Council of Ministers. The intention is to reject it once more, requiring the government to notify the United Nations and Kuwait of its disapproval and to commence negotiations regarding the maritime border between the two countries.