Iraqi Envoy: Joint Plan for Arvand Rud Pending Endorsement

In an interview with Tasnim, Sa'ad Jawad Qandil explicated the joint plans that Iraq and Iran have formulated for dredging and clean-up of Arvand Rud within the framework of an agreement signed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

The ambassador said joint commissions from the two countries have held several meetings for coordination on Arvand Rud and have reached a road map to revive a main shipping route in the border river in compliance with the 1975 Algiers Accord.

According to Qandil, the road map entails an inclusive plan to dredge the river, salvage the shipwrecks, remove the obstacles, and clear the mines remaining in the river from the war in the 1980s.

The ambassador also noted that Iraq and Iran will tap into their local capabilities to dredge Arvand Rud, noting that international assistance will be also provided if necessary.

“The road map will be carried out after ratification by the political leaders of the two countries,” he concluded.

Back in May, Iranian and Iraqi authorities signed the proceedings of a meeting that had been held to study the technical issues of dredging Arvand Rud.

Last week, Official delegations from Iran and Iraq held the second meeting of a joint commission for coordination on Arvand Rud in Tehran to discuss the general framework of the arrangements for dredging and clean-up of the river.

The two sides have agreed that the joint operational ideas would be submitted to the high-ranking officials of the two countries to be agreed upon and implemented.

Tehran and Baghdad have already signed an agreement to resolve disagreements over Arvand Rud based on the 1975 Algiers Accord, which deals with border issues and norms of good neighborliness.