By Eric Watkins
Middle East Correspondent
NICOSIA, Nov 5 -- Kuwait plans talks with Iran to negotiate an agreement for development of the offshore Dorra natural gas field that straddles the maritime boundary between the two countries.
Kuwaiti Minister of Information Muhammad Abul Hassan said Sunday that a special committee of experts was formed to study technical and legal issues relating to the offshore gas field, which the Iranians call Arash.
The announcement followed objections raised last week by Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh after reports that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had met to consider joint development of the field on the continental shelf in a triangular area bordered by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
"The activities of these two countries without Iran's presence is meaningless and must be stopped immediately," Zanganeh said, adding that "the Oil Ministry demands the Foreign Ministry to tackle the issue and prevent any further measure (over the development of the Arash field)." In any case, he said, "Iran will not give up its interest in the Arash [Dorra] gas field."
Riyadh meeting
Kuwait and Saudi oil ministers reportedly met in Riyadh in October and agreed to form a joint committee to draw up a development strategy for both onshore and offshore oil and gas fields in the neutral zone between the two countries, including the Dorra field.
Iran immediately announced its opposition to Saudi-Kuwait plans to develop Dorra until the Iranian-Kuwaiti maritime border has been demarcated. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said, "Not until the issue over Arash is terminally clarified does any country have the right to exploit it."
Iran has been involved in a dispute with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over demarcation of the boundary through the northern Gulf continental shelf. In January 2000, Iran began drilling the Dorra field in an area claimed by both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, only to stop 3 months later in response to their protests (OGJ Online, May 16, 2000).
In July 2000, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia concluded an agreement demarcating their maritime border (OGJ Online, July 21, 2000). Under terms of the agreement, Kuwait has sovereignty over the islands of Umm al-Maradim and Quruh with a one-mile radius around each. Iran has yet to settle its border dispute with either Saudi Arabia or Kuwait.
Dorra was discovered in November 1967, and six exploratory wells proved the commercial reserves of gas and condensates at the field. Recoverable gas reserves at Dorra are estimated at 7-15 tcf, with a potential production capacity of 600 MMcfd-1.5 bcfd.
