Kuwait, Saudi goodwill still stops at Neutral Zone

摘要

This month’s Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit failed to halt an escalating row between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the shared Neutral Zone. The neighbours have publicly sidestepped the rising tension over joint operations in the zone since a Saudiinstigated shut-in of the 300,000 b/d Khafji field in October (WPA, 24 October, p5). Kuwait has lost around 9mn bl of output over the past two months and state-owned KPC says the dispute now lies in the hands of Sheikh Sabah al- Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz.