Korea, North
China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of
thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and
political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty
of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of
boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military
Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has
separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime
disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea
supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima)
Korea, South
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide
Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;
periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit
Line; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954
Kuwait
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime
boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the
Persian Gulf
Kyrgyzstan
delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in
Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan;
delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by
serious disputes around enclaves and other areas
Laos
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to
check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of
demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas
along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong
Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong
River will affect water levels
Latvia
Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to
Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration
referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses;
Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in
Latvia; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime
boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil
exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's
external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border
rules
Lebanon
Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Lesotho
none
Liberia
although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel
groups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil
unrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in
Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000
in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in
Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia;
the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian
rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
Libya
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern
Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant
disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in
southern Libya