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İlker Başbuğ, Maarachot, water problems, large dams, zagros mountains, israelis, incoming government, northeastern syria, turkish government, Ynet, international conventions, Azzawi, arab economic development, israeli attack, syria and iran, Istanbul, freedom flotilla, TurkStat, water resource management, Saad Hariri"/> <style type="text/css">.recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;}</style> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch.js"></script><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch-lite.css" type="text/css" media="screen"/> </head> <body> <div class="container"> <div id="navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/">Home</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-6"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/" title="Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed">Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed</a> <ul> <li class="page_item page-item-3589"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/fatwas/" title="Fatwas A Brief Guide">Fatwas A Brief Guide</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="page_item page-item-2066"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/cholera-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7/" title="الكوليرا Cholera">الكوليرا Cholera</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-759"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/scenes-from-an-iraki-childhood-march-16th-2007/windowslivewriterscenesfromanirakichildhoodmarch16th2007-fd1720070316-crying-children-kirkuk-morgue-waiting-to-collect-fathers-body-250x325-72dpi6jpg/guide-to-the-samarra-bombing/" title="Guide To The Samarra Bombing">Guide To The Samarra Bombing</a></li> </ul> <div id="subscribe"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/">Subscribe to RSS</a> </div> </div> <div id="header"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/">Gorilla’s Guides</a></h1> <h2>“The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and I’m about to introduce them to it.”</h2> <div id="search"><form method="get" id="searchform" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/"> <div><input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s"/> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search"/> </div> </form> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="content" class="span-13 append-1"> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11270"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/06/flotilla-attack-consequences-continue-to-unfold/#comments" title="Comment on Flotilla Attack Consequences Continue to Unfold">1 Comment</a></span> Posted on July 6th, 2010 by markfromireland</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/06/flotilla-attack-consequences-continue-to-unfold/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Flotilla Attack Consequences Continue to Unfold">Flotilla Attack Consequences Continue to Unfold</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ankara/" rel="tag">Ankara</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/blue-square-supermarkets/" rel="tag">Blue Square supermarkets</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/boycotts/" rel="tag">boycotts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/freedom-flotilla/" rel="tag">freedom flotilla</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gaza-flotilla/" rel="tag">Gaza flotilla</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/gen-ilker-basbug/" rel="tag">Gen. İlker Başbuğ</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/haaretz/" rel="tag">Haaretz</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-waters/" rel="tag">international waters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran/" rel="tag">Iran</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/israel/" rel="tag">Israel</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/israeli-attack/" rel="tag">israeli attack</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/israelis/" rel="tag">israelis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurdistan/" rel="tag">Kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/maarachot/" rel="tag">Maarachot</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/manavgat-river-project/" rel="tag">Manavgat River project</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east/" rel="tag">Middle East</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nato/" rel="tag">NATO</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/palestinians/" rel="tag">palestinians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pkk/" rel="tag">PKK</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/regional-security/" rel="tag">Regional Security</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reuters/" rel="tag">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkish-army/" rel="tag">Turkish Army</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkish-foreign-minister/" rel="tag">Turkish foreign minister</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkish-government/" rel="tag">turkish government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkish-water-exports/" rel="tag">Turkish Water Exports</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkstat/" rel="tag">TurkStat</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ynet/" rel="tag">Ynet</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zaman/" rel="tag">Zaman</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Let me start by quoting a report from The Guardian :</p> <blockquote><p>Turkey has hardened its stance towards Israel over the "freedom flotilla" taking aid to the Gaza Strip, warning today that it will sever diplomatic relations unless the Israelis issue a formal apology or accept an international investigation into the incident. </p> <p><em>[snip]</em> </p> <p>Davutoglu’s warning came as something of a surprise since it followed an apparent thaw between the two countries when he held a meeting in Brussels last week with Israel’s trade minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. The meeting was itself the subject of a political row in Israel after news of the so-called secret session leaked out. </p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/05/turkey-threatens-cut-ties-gaza" class="external" target="_blank">Turkey threatens to cut ties with Israel over Gaza flotilla | World news | The Guardian</a></p> </blockquote> <p>What is there to be surprised about? The Turkish government has said repeatedly that they are not going to back down over this. They’ve said repeatedly that a continued Israeli failure to apologise and make amends will mean an escalating series of counter measures. If, instead of relying on a British newspaper you read this article from a Turkish one <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey8217s-last-offer-to-israel-three-options-on-table-2010-07-04" class="external" target="_blank">Turkey’s last offer to Israel: Three options on table</a> you’ll find that as well as listing the three courses of action that Israel could take:</p> <ol> <li>Apologize </li> <li>Accept the international, impartial inquiry and its conclusion </li> <li>Give up ties with Turkey </li> </ol> <p>Davutoğlu listed the "roadmap" of measures that Turkey would take. These run from the blanket ban on military flights implemented shortly after the Israeli attack on the flotilla to completely suspending diplomatic relations with Israel. </p> <p>One measure likely to be implemented very soon is extending the blanket ban on military flights through Turkish airspace to civilian aircraft. Prohibiting Israeli civilian aircraft from using Turkish airspace is likely to cause the Israeli airline El Al quite a lot of inconvenience as well as costing it rather a lot of money. </p> <p>If matters reach the point where the Turkish government suspends all diplomatic relations with Israel that would be a catastrophe for Israeli. (The fact that the Turkish foreign minister is publicly talking about cutting off all diplomatic relations with Israel  is a catastrophe for Israel already).</p> <h3>" "The Kurdish rebels are Israel’s sub-contractors." "</h3> <p>It gets worse, much worse, from the Israeli point of view. That the Israelis have been on again off again sponsors of the Kurdish separatist movement(s) is so well known as to be barely worthy of comment. That Turkey is officially starting to take notice is very noteworthy. This article, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3899714,00.html" class="external" target="_blank">‘Israel may have ordered Kurdish terror attack’</a> from the Israeli news site <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.ynetnews.com/" class="external" target="_blank">Ynet</a> gives a brief outline of the meltdown taking place between Israel and the Turks. The article in Zaman to which the Ynet report refers can be found here, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-212267-suspicion-growing-about-possible-link-between-pkk-and-israel.html" class="external" target="_blank">Suspicion growing about possible link between PKK and Israel</a>. The article details the growing consensus amongst Turkish analysts and politicians that Israel is sponsoring terrorist acts by Kuridsh separatists: </p> <blockquote><p>Turkish intelligence organizations are looking into possible connections between the two incidents that occurred on the same day only hours apart. The terrorist act was carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an outlawed organization that has been listed as terrorist group both in Turkey and in much of the international community. Analysts claim Israeli secret services may have contracted the job to the PKK to send a message to the Turkish government.</p> </blockquote> <p>So far so bad from the Israeli point of view but the consequences of the illegal Israeli attack on the flotilla and the cold blooded massacre by Israeli troops that ensued don’t stop there. Right at the end of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-chief-israel-s-military-ties-with-turkey-still-strong-1.300370" class="external" target="_blank">this report from Haaretz</a> about how military relations are still excellent there’s this:</p> <blockquote><p>"The general’s overview highlights the importance of international cooperation in the struggle against terrorism and reflects the vast experience Turkey has amassed over dozens of years of fighting terrorism, particularly against the [Kurdish] PKK."</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong>   <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-chief-israel-s-military-ties-with-turkey-still-strong-1.300370" class="external" target="_blank">IDF chief: Israel’s military ties with Turkey still strong – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News</a> </p> </blockquote> <p>But if you read about the same topic in Zaman you get this (emphasis added):</p> <blockquote><h3>Başbuğ on IDF journal</h3> <p>Meanwhile, the latest edition of the official magazine of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has published a speech by Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, as reported by Israeli daily Haaretz. The journal, “Maarachot,” opens with the speech, delivered by Başbuğ during a NATO conference in March. </p> <p>The text also includes a prologue penned by his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, who also attended the Ankara conference. "As a member of NATO and a large, important Muslim country that shares a border with Syria, Iraq and Iran, Turkey is a strategically pivotal country for regional security, <strong>as well as on the issue of water</strong>," Ashkenazi wrote. "The IDF and the Turkish army maintain military and security ties managed by military attaches stationed in both countries, hold mutual visits, stage joint war games and have conducted a long-running dialogue in many fields. I participated in the Ankara conference at which the general delivered his remarks. I am certain his statements will enrich our knowledge and strengthen awareness of the importance of joining forces to combat terrorism in all its forms.” </p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-215190-israel-refuses-to-apologize-despite-turkish-ultimatum.html" class="external" target="_blank">Israel refuses to apologize despite Turkish ultimatum</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Not only is Israel refusing to apologise they’re upping the ante by threatening boycotts. Alas for the Zionist state it’s not a very credible threat: </p> <blockquote><p>According to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat), Israel’s share in Turkey’s overall exports amounts to around 2 percent. The relations between the two countries deteriorated seriously after a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish humanitarian aid vessel en route to Gaza two weeks ago, claiming the lives of nine peace activists and wounding many more. The Israeli Haaretz daily reported on Monday that two supermarket chains, Blue Square and Rami Levy, will stop working with Turkish suppliers. </p> <p>Stressing that the boycott of Turkish goods is not a credible threat, Öztürk stated that Turkey has nothing to lose from this situation. But instead, he noted, Israel should fear a similar decisions by Turkey as “with a population of 70 million Turkey is one of the biggest consumers of Israeli products.” Öztürk underlined that Israel with its small population is indeed a small market for Turkey and that the volume of Turkey’s exports to Israel is not large. “And after all I don’t think people will be complying with this boycott. Even if we assume they do 100 percent, again it will not pose any threat to Turkey. Instead of causing any economic damage to the Turkish economy, it might have a positive impact by promoting Turkish goods in other countries. The drop in exports due to the Israeli boycott will easily be compensated by the counter effect it will create in the Arab world and Muslim countries,” remarked Öztürk.</p> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-213258-israeli-boycott-of-turkish-goods-is-the-best-ad-we-can-buy-experts-say.html" class="external" target="_blank">Israeli boycott of Turkish goods is the best ad we can buy, experts say</a></p> </blockquote> <p>But let’s get back to water. Water, in the Middle East it always comes down to water. <em>Turkey is a strategically pivotal country for regional security, <strong>as well as on the issue of water</strong>," Ashkenazi wrote.</em> The water issue is key the water weapon is devastating.</p> <blockquote><p>Due to the desert climate that makes up a large percentage of Israel’s landscape, the country has always had problems with water shortages. Archaeologists have found that inhabitants of the region thousands of years ago were concerned with water conservation and had constructed various systems to collect, store, and transport rainwater.</p> <p><em>[snip]</em></p> <p>On August 6, 2005, Israel and Turkey signed a groundbreaking agreement in which Turkey exports 1.75 billion cubic feet of water from its Manavgat River to Israel each year for the next 20 years. While the Turkish water is expected to fulfill only about three percent of Israel’s needs during the 20-year period, it is Israel’s first water import agreement and a further expansion of burgeoning economic ties between the two countries. The deal, which will be worth $800 million to $1 billion, “will create a new reality in the region,” former Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said. “I hope that Turkey will be the major supplier of water to the region.”</p> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/brief/Water.html" class="external" target="_blank">Jewish Virtual Library | Water in Israel</a></p> </blockquote> <h3>Turks cancel project to sell Israel water</h3> <blockquote><p>The Islamist government in Ankara has shelved plans to sell the Jewish state 1.75 billion cubic feet of water a year for 20 years from the Mavganat River in Anatolia, part of its wider strategy of restoring the regional dominance it had a century ago. </p> <p>The Turkish decision to suspend the project was in retaliation for the May 31 killing by the Israeli navy of nine Turks aboard a Turkish-flagged ship carrying humanitarian to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip. </p> <p>Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz says Ankara will not develop any joint projects with Israel until it "apologizes and expresses its regret" for the attack in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean.</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/06/18/Turks-cancel-project-to-sell-Israel-water/UPI-50501276883374/" class="external" target="_blank">Turks cancel project to sell Israel water – UPI.com</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Whom the Gods would destroy they first appoint to the Israeli cabinet … The Israelis seem to think that they can treat the Turks the same way they treat the Palestinians. That is a mistake which could very well prove to be the undoing of the Zionist settler state. </p> <p>markfromireland</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11015"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/11/turkey-muddies-the-water/#respond" title="Comment on Turkey muddies the water">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 11th, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/11/turkey-muddies-the-water/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Turkey muddies the water">Turkey muddies the water</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-ahram/" rel="tag">Al-Ahram</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arab-economic-development/" rel="tag">arab economic development</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ataturk-dam/" rel="tag">Ataturk Dam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baath-party/" rel="tag">baath party</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/budget/" rel="tag">Budget</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources-ministry/" rel="tag">resources ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/river-water/" rel="tag">river water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris/" rel="tag">Tigris</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" rel="tag">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-flow/" rel="tag">water flow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resources/" rel="tag">water resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treaty/" rel="tag">Water Treaty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treaty-negotiations/" rel="tag">Water Treaty negotiations</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p> </p> <blockquote><p>Syria’s plan to divert the waters of the Tigris portends a long and bitter quarrel with Iraq, reports <b>Bassel Oudat</b> from Damascus </p> <hr noshade="noshade"/> <p>Last year’s severe drought in northeastern Syria dried up the Khabur River which is the lifeline in that region, causing some 500,000 Syrians to migrate to other areas inside Syria. In response, the government signed a deal with the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development to begin a project on the Tigris close to the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi border, diverting enough water to fertilise 200,000 hectares.</p> <p>Baghdad was infuriated by the project and called Damascus to an "emergency meeting" to clarify the details of the "surprise plan" which would divert river water over long distances inside Syrian territories. Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry stated that any diverted water will affect Iraq’s already meagre water quota, which would negatively influence local agriculture and the economy. Iraqi officials also predicted that the plan will jeopardise already worsening relations between the two neighbouring states.</p> <p>Syria has not responded to Iraq’s invitation. Informed Syrian sources asserted that the project was conceived decades ago, and not a new concept at all, as the Iraqis are claiming. In fact, it is an indicator of warming relations between Syria and Turkey, because Ankara gave Damascus the green light to go ahead and begin the project.</p> <p>The plan is indeed old, but was delayed because previous governments in Turkey refused to sign any agreement to share water with Syria and Iraq. With encouragement from abroad, Ankara was fooled into believing that it would be stronger and have more leverage by controlling the water flow.</p> <p>Syria and Iraq have fought over water resources in the past. In the 1980s, it threatened to ignite a war. Eventually the quarrel came to include Turkey, especially after Ankara began building large dams on the Euphrates and Tigris. So far, no three-way agreement has been reached because Turkey refuses to share the water with Syria and Iraq.</p> <p>The heart of the problem lies in differences of interpretation of Syria and Iraq on the one hand, and Turkey on the other. Turkey believes the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey and pass through Syria and Iraq, to be "marginally cross-border rivers" because they barely pass inside the borders of Syria and Iraq. But Syria and Iraq consider them major international water bodies which should be evenly divided among everyone.</p> <p>When the regimes in Damascus and Baghdad fell out in the 1970-80s, this negatively affected their rights to the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris and a number of smaller rivers, because they refused to sit together or with the Turkish side. Ankara used Syrian- Iraqi tensions to exercise control over the waters of the rivers and keep a much larger share than stipulated in international water agreements for itself. It constructed massive dams on the rivers, using their waters in agricultural and industrial projects along their banks. It cut down the amount of water going to each country, and refused to recognise that the two rivers were international waterways but rather local Turkish rivers which happen to pass through Syria and Iraq on their way to the Arab shore, south of Basra in Iraq.</p> <p>In 1974, Turkey began the Southeastern Anatolian (GAP) project which consists of 21 dams, 17 of which on the Euphrates including Ataturk Dam and four others on the River Tigris. It also included 19 power stations and 47 water reservoirs, and a variety of other projects in the fields of agriculture, industry, transportation, irrigation and communication. Ankara earmarked $32 billion for the project and received a large part of the budget from international funding in the form of loans and grants, especially from the US, Canada, Israel and France.</p> <p>In 1987, Syria and Iraq tried to gain some recognition over the waters of the two rivers, but it was too late. Turkey refused to negotiate with them as one party and dealt with each side separately, taking a disproportionate amount for itself. Damascus and Baghdad could do nothing, especially in light of the fact that Ankara continued its plans to construct dams and was able to cut off the flow of the river altogether to both neighbours.</p> <p>In 1989, Syria and Iraq agreed to divide the quota of the Euphrates River given to them, whereby Syria’s share amounted to 42 per cent and 52 per cent went to Iraq. Later, in 2000, the two sides agreed that Syria should receive a share of the Tigris water (which flows 50km inside its border), enough to irrigate almost 200,000 hectares of land.</p> <p>In the end, sharing the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris became a capricious matter, not relying on clear and precise agreements based on international law. Turkey’s whims dictate quotas with no base in international law. In 2007, a three-way meeting failed to result in a comprehensive agreement on the issue because Turkey refused to change the status quo and wanted to make it a de facto arrangement.</p> <p>Syria’s project to divert Tigris water, which it started publicly planning at the beginning of this year, has antagonised the Iraqis to an unexpected degree, and Baghdad’s reaction came as a surprise to Damascus. This is especially true since there is a preliminary agreement regarding this issue with the previous regime in Iraq, which Iraqis today consider invalid. The Syrians counter that the agreement was concluded with a legitimate Iraqi government and not one person per se, and it is illogical to annul agreements between countries every time the regime changes.</p> <p>Syrian political circles feel that Iraq’s reasoning is another attempt by Iraq’s government to raise tensions between the two countries, and manipulate this domestically now that Iraq is about to form a new government.</p> <p>Relations between the two neighbours have not been at their best for almost one year, after Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki accused Syria of hosting and assisting Al-Baath Party elements who support the ousted regime in Baghdad. Iraq claims these elements are behind a number of attacks in Baghdad which have killed hundreds of Iraqis. These accusations also came as a surprise for the Syrians who said they have tried their utmost in the past few years to prevent fighters from going into Iraq by more vigilant control of the border. At the same time, Syria is home to 1.5 million Iraqi refugees and says it has cooperated with Iraqi authorities.</p> <p>Syrian officials believe that Iraq’s objections to the Tigris project are not a result of Iraqi concerns over water but have other political goals to do with domestic Iraqi politics, power struggles among Iraqi factions, and complications in forming Iraq’s new cabinet.</p> <p>No doubt, the quarrel between Syria and Iraq over the past decades has allowed Turkey to do as it pleases with the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris. Today, closer ties between Damascus and Ankara — which could almost be described as a strategic alliance — are still not enough to convince Turkey to admit that these are international rivers, and it continues to control them unilaterally.</p> <p>Observers believe that rising political friction between Syria and Iraq, their distraction with secondary issues over more important ones, and their lax positions towards Turkey on the water issue and other matters have not only caused tension, but resulted in immense strategic losses for both parties. </p> <p>They will have to look beyond this current spat and focus on the real problem — resolving the quota issue with Turkey.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1002/re85.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Turkey muddies the water</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11008"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/10/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%82-%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%ad-%d9%85%d8%b4%d9%83%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%87-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84/#respond" title="Comment on العراق سيطرح مشكلة المياه على طاولة المنتدى العربي ـ التركي">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 10th, 2010 by Fatima Jameel</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/10/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%82-%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%ad-%d9%85%d8%b4%d9%83%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%87-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to العراق سيطرح مشكلة المياه على طاولة المنتدى العربي ـ التركي">العراق سيطرح مشكلة المياه على طاولة المنتدى العربي ـ التركي</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amr-moussa/" rel="tag">Amr Moussa</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arab-league/" rel="tag">Arab League</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/azzawi/" rel="tag">Azzawi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erdogan/" rel="tag">Erdogan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/istanbul/" rel="tag">Istanbul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/lebanon/" rel="tag">Lebanon</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/national-reconciliation/" rel="tag">national reconciliation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/recep-tayyip-erdogan/" rel="tag">Recep Tayyip Erdogan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saad-hariri/" rel="tag">Saad Hariri</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris/" rel="tag">Tigris</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treaty/" rel="tag">Water Treaty</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p dir="rtl" align="right">اعرب وفد العراق المشارك في أعمال المنتدى العربي – التركي المقرر افتتاحه يوم غد الخميس في مدينة اسطنبول عن عزمه طرح مشكلة مياه نهري دجلة والفرات وتقاسمها مع كل من تركيا وسوريا خلال اجتماعات المنتدى. <br/>وقال ممثل العراق في جامعة الدول العربية قيس العزاوي في تصريح له انه ستتم خلال المنتدى مناقشة التزامات الدول المشاركة بالتوصيات التي خرجت بها المؤتمرات الوزارية لدول الجوار العراقي سابقا، والتي تدور حول دعم جهود الحكومة في تحقيق الامن والاستقرار ودعم وحدة العراق واستقلاله ، فضلا عن دعم جهود المصالحة الوطنية وادانة جميع الاعمال الارهابية التي تستهدف الشعب العراقي. <br/>هذا واوضح العزاوي انه تم أدراج موضوع المياه ايضا على جدول أعمال المنتدى نظرا لأهميته في حياة البلد، لاسيما ان نهري دجلة والفرات ينبعان من تركيا لذلك فمن المهم مناقشة هذا الامر على مستوى جامعة الدول العربية، موضحا ان العراق اعترض على ان يكون موضوع المياه من الموضوعات الاقتصادية وانما هو موضوع سياسي مهم والان نحن في ازمة مياه. <br/>وأضاف ممثل العراق ان المنتدى المقرر عقده في مدينة اسطنبول التركية، سيكون على المستوى الوزاري وبحضور الامين العام لجامعة الدول العربية عمرو موسى ورئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب اردوغان ورئيس وزراء لبنان سعد الحريري.</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-10892"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/04/baghdad-urged-to-tackle-water-crisis/#respond" title="Comment on Baghdad Urged to Tackle Water Crisis">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 4th, 2010 by Harith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/04/baghdad-urged-to-tackle-water-crisis/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Baghdad Urged to Tackle Water Crisis">Baghdad Urged to Tackle Water Crisis</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agricultural-land/" rel="tag">agricultural land</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad-university/" rel="tag">Baghdad University</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis/" rel="tag">Water Crisis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-level/" rel="tag">water level</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-levels/" rel="tag">water levels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-problems/" rel="tag">water problems</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resource-management/" rel="tag">water resource management</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resources/" rel="tag">water resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-rights/" rel="tag">water rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-scarcity/" rel="tag">water scarcity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortage/" rel="tag">water shortage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-shortages/" rel="tag">Water Shortages</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-supply/" rel="tag">water supply</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wheat/" rel="tag">wheat</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p><em>UN report found that 100,000 Iraqis have fled their homes since 2005 due to water shortages.</em> </p> <p>Iraqis are calling on their incoming government to devote more energy to resolving the country’s chronic water problems, with some experts stating that water will be more important than oil in the long-term development of the county. </p> <p>Even as recent rains have brought some relief to drought-stricken Iraq, the historic problem of water scarcity has forced tens of thousands of rural Iraqis from their homes. The government estimates that nearly two million people face severe drinking water shortages and extremely limited electricity due to hydropower shortage. </p> <p>Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions are running high as promises from upriver counties such as Turkey, Syria and Iran to allow more water into Iraq appear not to have been met. This week, Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zebari denounced a plan by Syria to divert water from the Tigris river to irrigate some 200,000 acres of land as detrimental to Iraq’s future water supply. </p> <p>Iraq’s minister of electricity Kareem Waheed called Syria’s move a “shock” that would “embarrass” his ministry and undermine its commitments to hydropower. Both ministers decried Syria’s plan as a breach of international conventions on down-river water rights. </p> <p>“The next government will be challenged on the water issue and there is no option but to deal with it. I understand that Iraq faces more than one problem, but this one can’t be ignored. No matter what the government is focusing on, this problem will impose itself,” said Dr Awn Thiab al-Ajeli, the head of Iraq’s National Centre for Water Resource Management within the ministry of water resources. </p> <p>"The first step that should be made is to reach a deal with Turkey as well as Iran and Syria in order to have good, stable amounts of water enter to Iraq each day. The current situation is that the amount is good one day, and bad the next. To make this step, a deal must be made between governments, not just between two water ministries. It depends on the diplomatic relations between the two states," Ajeli said. </p> <p>Officials have said in the past security concerns have overshadowed the development of a forward-thinking water policy. With Iraq’s recent and relative stability, experts are now calling for a plan to tackle the water problems that have afflicted the country – from rising salinity in the southern marshland to the imminent demise of traditional irrigation systems, known as karez, in the north. </p> <p>A UNESCO report found that 100,000 Iraqis have fled their native communities since 2005 due to water shortages. </p> <p>Another United Nations report claims the water levels in the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, Iraq’s primary sources of water, have fallen by more than two-thirds. The report cautioned that the vital lifelines could completely dry up by 2040. </p> <p>“At the current rates, Iraq’s water supply will fall an estimated 43 billion cubic metres by 2015, far short of the 77 cubic metres that the country will need to avert a widespread humanitarian disaster,” the UN report read. </p> <p>According to UN research, “Inefficient irrigation, lack of government coordination and weak capacity to manage the resource has compounded the current shortage of water… After years of neglect during the previous regime, Iraq’s water managers still lack sufficient technical capability and knowledge to address its growing water crisis. Budget constraints have handicapped the government’s ability to implement a long-term water management plan.” </p> <p>Social problems connected with water scarcity are common in Iraq: fishermen in the southern complain of a declining catches; in agricultural areas, water shortages have caused wheat production to fall by half. According to the UN, Iraq now imports 80 per cent of its food and 90 per cent of Iraq’s land is either desert or “suffering from severe desertification”. </p> <p>“Water is more important than oil for Iraq because we have agricultural lands which, without water, are useless. Agriculture is the future and the new government need to see that,” Ajeji said. </p> <p>The political impact of water relations with upriver countries is not lost on the UN. “We believe that the problem has political dimensions between Iraq and [its neighbours], which are trying to put pressure on the Iraqi government to advance some economic and political interests. The maneuvering has already begun in determining how much water Iraq should really have,” its report said. </p> <p>Dr Mohammed al-Zubaidi, political science professor at Baghdad University, said water is already the defining factor in Iraq’s foreign relations. </p> <p>“Listen, don’t be naïve. Upriver countries dominate down river countries because they control water revenue. This gives them advantages in other fields as well,” Zubaidi said. </p> <p>“Let’s talk about Turkey and Syria. We have concerns that one day they will ask in return for water, one barrel of water for one barrel of oil. That day will come soon if Iraq maintains its ignorant strategies of wasteful water management.” </p> <p>The Baghdad government claims it is doing its part in seeking adequate water for Iraq and applying diplomatic pressure to upriver neighbours. </p> <p>“We have formed delegations to visit Turkey, Iran and Syria to speak with them about sharing water because we face a serious problem in this regard. We have sent letters demanding the need to give us more water,” Jamal al-Battiq, head of parliament’s agricultural committee, said. </p> <p>Neighbouring nations have been reluctant to address Iraq’s water woes, but Mustafa Kibargolu, a professor at Bilkent University’s international relations department, cautioned that water could be the source of conflict in years to come. </p> <p>“[There hasn’t been any] confrontation or high tension stemming from the unsatisfied demands of parties over the use of water. [But] this should not mislead observers into thinking this is unlikely,” Kibargolu said. </p> <p>“Unless some old water policies are purged and new ones introduced. It is a real possibility that this region will become a time bomb in terms of water rights.”</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.iwpr.net/report-news/baghdad-urged-tackle-water-crisis" class="external" target="_blank">Baghdad Urged to Tackle Water Crisis – IWPR Institute for War & Peace Reporting</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7922"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/14/the-dust-bowl-of-babylon/#respond" title="Comment on The Dust Bowl of Babylon">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/14/the-dust-bowl-of-babylon/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to The Dust Bowl of Babylon">The Dust Bowl of Babylon</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a 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mountains</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p> </p> <blockquote><p><b>The Dust Bowl of Babylon</b></p> <p>Are crippling droughts the next great threat to Iraq? Asks <b>Martin Chulov</b>.</p> <p>BAGHDAD — From his mud brick home on the edge of the Garden of Eden, Awda Khasaf has twice seen his country’s lifeblood seep away. The waters that once spread from his doorstep across a 20% slab of Iraq known as the Marshlands first disappeared in 1991, when Saddam Hussein diverted them east to punish the rebellious Marsh Arabs. The wetlands have been crucial to Iraq since the earliest days of civilization — sustaining the lives of up to half a million people who live in and around the area, while providing water for almost two million more. </p> <p>The waters vanished after the First Gulf War due to a dictator’s wrath; over the next 16 years, they ebbed and flowed, but slowly started to return to their pre-Saddam levels. By 2007, with no more sabotage and average rains, almost 70% of the lost water had been recovered. Now it’s gone again. This time because of a crisis far more endemic: a devastating drought and the water policies of neighboring Turkey, Iran, and Syria. These three nations have effectively stopped most of the headwaters of the three rivers — the Tigris, Euphrates, and Karoon — that feed these marshes. </p> <p>“Once in a generation was bad enough,” says Awda, a tribal head and local sheikh in the al-Akeryah Marshlands, who also advises the Nasiriyah governorate on water issues. “Twice could well be God’s vengeance.” </p> <p>In a land where fundamental interpretations of monotheistic scripts often determine the tone of public discourse, particular attention is now being paid to the biblical Book of Revelation, in which the Euphrates River drying up was prophesized as a harbinger for the end of the world. It is not doomsday yet in Iraq, but the water shortage here has not been worse for at least the last two centuries — and possibly for several millennia more. Government estimates suggest close to two million Iraqis face severe drinking water shortages and extremely limited hydropower-generated electricity in a part of the country where most households get by on no more than eight hours of supplied power per day, in the best of times. </p> <p>The flow of the Euphrates that reaches Iraq is down, according to scientific estimates, by 50% to 70% and falling further by the week. From his frugal office in Baghdad’s National Center for Water Management, engineer Zuhair Hassan Ahmed has for the past decade plotted the water levels of the Euphrates and the Tigris, the latter of which bisects the Iraqi capital. The hand-etched ink graphs show a black line that marks an average “water year,” from October to May, superimposed over a green line, which shows the actual flow through the two rivers over the same time. The green line had been markedly lower than the benchmark for much of the past decade. But in 2007 — the start of a serious drought — it dipped sharply and has continued to fall. </p> <p>In Baghdad, the lack of water has been an inconvenience, an eyesore, and a health hazard. Raw sewage and refuse pumped into the Tigris is not flushed downstream as rapidly as it once was. The Tigris is Baghdad’s main artery, but it is also still a working river, long traversed by small commuter ferries, industrial barges, and, in the city’s halcyon days, even pleasure boats. Giant mud islands now protrude from the once wide, blue expanse of the river, making it unnavigable for larger vessels. Further downstream, and especially along the Euphrates — which runs roughly on a parallel track west though Iraq’s bread basket — the effects of the shortage are far worse. </p> <p>Between Two Rivers </p> </p> <p>Here, in the land between the two rivers that was once the heartland of ancient Mesopotamia, the water crisis has ravaged agriculture, an industry still struggling to regain its footing after three decades of deprivation and war. This was the second mooted site (the other was the Marshlands themselves) of the fabled Garden of Eden — a land so rich in soil and water that it would quench the needs of its dwellers throughout eternity. It doesn’t look quite like that now. Crops of grain, barley, mint, and dates have failed almost en masse. Further west, in Anbar province, a prized rice variety that was once sold at a premium throughout Iraq and in the markets of neighboring countries has just been harvested. Like almost all other crops, this year’s yield is a disaster. </p> <p>“We blame the Turks for this,” says Hatem al-Ansari, a local Anbar rice grower who claims to have lost half his family’s life savings since January 2009 due to a lack of water to irrigate his rice. “We have been digging wells nearby, and so has the government, but it is not enough. Not even close.” Shielding his face with a black scarf from a sandstorm blowing in on an acetylene desert wind, Hatem points in the direction of the Euphrates’ upper reaches. “If you go down to the bank, you will see where the water was last year and last week,” he says. “Our water pumps can no longer reach it. It’s true it hasn’t been raining, but it’s just as true that even 30% of normal rainfall does not cripple a mighty river like this.” He had to be taken on his word. The swirling sand and dust were starting to turn the sky an ochre-orange haze and was steadily closing like a shroud on us all, making an inspection of the river bank impossible. </p> <p>Sandstorms have long been a fixture of Iraqi summers — on average, there are about eight to ten each hot season. But this year they became a pandemic. Close to 40 sandstorms blew in during the five months from May to early October. Some lasted three days at a time, sheeting farms with suffocating silt, closing airports, and adding another layer of misery to a society that has been through hell. </p> <p>Lack of water for irrigation, especially in Anbar, is a key problem. Iraq’s water minister, Dr. Abdul Rashid Latif, says that the government dug an extra 1,000 wells over the past two years, taking advantage of a relatively high groundwater table. But drawing on a diminishing resource during a time of drought has proved costly. “We now have only around 20% of our original reserves left,” he says. “And the thing about this water is that not much of it is being replenished.” </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>“The Scent of a Dying Ecosystem” </p> </p> <p>Iraq’s water numbers make for disturbing reading across the board. Government estimates put total reservoir storage at around 9% of nationwide capacity on the leading edge of a wet season that is not forecast to bring much relief. For the past two years, rainfall was some 70% lower than usual in most of Iraq’s 18 provinces. </p> <p>The snow melt that usually feeds the Tigris system from the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdish north was equally deficient. There are now seven dams on the adjoining Euphrates system, most in Turkey and Syria, with plans for at least one more. And then there are the rampant inefficiencies built into Iraq’s antiquated 8,000 miles of canals and drains, which send countless millions of gallons gushing into parts of the country that have little use for the water, and no means to harness it even if they did. </p> <p>Some have looked to the heavens to explain the lack of rain. Society here is deeply superstitious. Many Iraqis, from the Sunni Arabs of Anbar to the tribes of the Marshlands, believe the natural deficiencies are God-ordained — and possibly a punishment for the sectarian ravages that have torn the country apart over the last three years. </p> <p>“Droughts have happened before and will plague us again,” says Awda as he surveys the vast expanse of hard-baked and cracked brown mud in front of him that used to be the Marshlands. “But not even in ’91 was the water like this. Now there is nothing.” The only water left in the maze of feeder streams that empty into this giant basin are pools of lime-colored stagnant ooze. Nothing flows. Ducks and geese sit listlessly on creek banks that have not been exposed in decades — if ever — to direct sunlight. Infestations of flies circle like Saturn’s rings around giant, steel barrels of drinking water, imported from the nearby city of Nasiriyah, that line village roads. Reeds that were once the staple of the agrarian peoples who worked this waterway through the ages jut starkly from the banks, nearly all of them yellow and hardened, looking more like medieval weapons of war than crops. </p> <p>Earlier this fall, the major tributaries of the Euphrates were flowing at around 30% of their normal levels. “Look at that mark on the bank,” says Awda, pointing to a stain on a corrugated iron beam at the base of the bridge. Not long ago, he notes, this had been a high-water mark. The waterline is now at least nine feet lower. The pungent murk of the riverbed lingers in the air. “Take a deep breath,” says Awda. “That smell is the scent of a dying ecosystem.” </p> <p>Two fishermen, who had launched themselves into what remained of the waterway in a bid to net carp, return to the banks with their haul — 12 fish, none bigger than 10 inches. The catch is not enough to feed their families, let alone take to market. Two years ago, the fish were fat and bountiful. </p> <p>“Fishing is our staple here,” explains one local man, Sheikh Hameed from Abart village, further north of the Marshlands. “That, and hunting water birds. But they’ve all flown away. I had a stall here for many years,” he recalls, pointing to an abandoned roadside hut, where he used to sell his catch. </p> <p>The white polystyrene crates that used to hold the fish on ice are now home to street cats and sand drifts. A giant water buffalo, which once spent the best part of the summer immersed in the water, is now making do with what remains. He stands motionless, buried to the midriff in a festering, black mud. The caked soil cast offers at least some respite from the heat, but with the temperature expected to hover between 118 and 124 degrees Fahrenheit for the following week, he doesn’t have long left to wallow. </p> <p>“We are digging wells for our own survival,” says Sheikh Hameed. “And this in the most water-rich area of the country. This is not God’s wrath. This is the work of people.” </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>Tweaking the Tap </p> </p> <p>Over the past six chaotic years, new reservoirs have been built into the Euphrates system on both the Syrian and Turkish sides of the border. Iraq, as a downstream country, would have likely suffered from serious water depletion even if it had a government strong enough to assert its authority against two powerful neighbors. But with a political class struggling to win legitimacy amid a sectarian war that has torn the country apart along ancient societal fault lines, there has been little time to tend even to the bare basics of survival. Delivery of services has been close to non-existent, from the national government down to village mayors. Now, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki claiming to run a credible sovereign state, work has begun in earnest on talking to the neighbors about many issues of Iraqi sovereignty, including border integrity, that have remained sidelined throughout the post-war turmoil. </p> <p>“They should realize that we are an important neighbor and share many things in life,” says Dr. Rashid, who has three times led Iraqi delegations to Istanbul and Damascus to beg for more water. He has returned with promises, but little fruit for his labors. With no treaties or agreements signed with either state, however, he has little leverage. “Our neighboring countries need to get the message that it is our right to get our share of water from these two international rivers and that we should have a say in their operational procedures because we are downstream. In our discussions they have never connected the water issues with any other issues.” </p> <p>There is trouble, too, from Iran, whose government earlier this year ordered the diversion back into Iranian territory of a key tributary of the Tigris — the Karoon River, which enters Iraq just north of the southern city of Basra. Until early this year, the Karoon had sent regularly a vital flush of freshwater down the Tigris and into the Shatt al-Arab waterway at the northwestern end of the Persian Gulf. The freshwater pushed back the tidal effect and allowed tens of thousands of Iraqis from the southern Marshlands to make their livelihood through fishing and farming. “There were 13 billion cubic meters of freshwater [annually] feeding into the Shatt al-Arab,” says Dr. Rashid. “Now that has gone. We have asked them to sit down and talk but they won’t even answer our requests.” </p> <p>In late October 2009, Iraqi technicians finally met with their Iranian counterparts. “They were told about the effect on the people in the south who are exclusively Shias — their people,” says Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari. “They were very embarrassed by this and promised to look into it.” Today, the saltwater of the relentless tides around Basra is still winning the push-me, pull-you game and, like a rampaging army, has pushed farther north up the waterway than ever before. As a result, some 30,000 locals have left their land, some of which has now been heavily salinated, leaving it of marginal agricultural value at best. </p> <p>Across Iraq, entire ecosystems are under threat. So far, redress from the Turks and the Syrians has consisted only of sympathetic words, followed by the occasional tweak of the tap. “We need 500 cubic meters per second,” Dr. Rashid said in August. “We have been getting 350 meters on some days, but 150 meters on average. They have promised us more, but we have yet to see it.” In the months that followed, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey three times announced a boost in the headwater flow from the Euphrates. But by late autumn, the downstream effect had been negligible. </p> <p>The giant power station in the city of Nasiriyah was still using only two of its four turbines that are normally powered by the flow of the Euphrates. One had broken down, but could not have been used anyway because, along with a second turbine, there was not enough moving water to power it. Nasiriyah was getting by on about six to eight hours of power a day — roughly the same as the rest of the country. </p> <p>Throughout the summer and fall, engineers at the power station were desperately hoping the river would not fall another eight inches, to a level that would have left Iraq’s fourth-largest city without any electricity whatsoever. “We saw it rise a centimeter or two, roughly two days after every announcement from the Turks, but it would soon drop away,” says an engineer at the power station. “The figures we were being promised were not translating into tangibles.” </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>The Rains Cometh Not </p> </p> <p>Both Turkey and Syria have been suffering from the same rainfall deficiency as Iraq. The winter storm fronts that once formed regularly near Cyprus and swept east through Syria, Jordan, and Iraq have been rare over the past three years, as have the low-pressure systems that could usually be counted on to dip south into Turkey from the Balkans and the Russian steppe. Cloud seeding and the contentious science of rain-making have been considered in all four countries. </p> <p>Jordanians, in particular, remember the 1991 winter season, when seeding was attempted near Cyprus. That year, six separate snow-bearing storm fronts swept through the country, leaving yard-deep snow drifts on the streets of the capital, Amman, for many weeks. Heavy snow also fell across the Iraqi desert plains and the Zagros Mountains. The snow melt that autumn saw the Tigris burst its banks in Baghdad. Upstream in Turkey, there is still enough reliable winter rainfall to keep the dams brimming and make cloud seeding unnecessary. Downstream in Iraq, where the water is needed most, there is neither money nor interest for such an experiment. </p> <p>Even the ancient ways are starting to fail. From June to August of this year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conducted research into the status of ancient, natural subterranean aqueducts used both for human settlement and irrigation in the Kurdish north. The UNESCO results painted a bleak picture of water resources in northern Iraq, which had for centuries boasted relatively bountiful supplies, even during harsh times. The UNESCO study found that 70% of the aqueducts, known as karez, that were producing water in 2005 had since dried up and been abandoned. Of the 683 karez surveyed, most were not functioning, due largely to excessive use and ongoing drought — only 116 still delivered water. The study claimed that 36,000 people were at risk of being displaced, while tens of thousands more had already left their lands. </p> <p>Figures in Iraq are always open to a degree of conjecture, but one reality is now clear: the water crisis is leading to mass migrations of people and a renewed displacement at both ends of the country, just as some order was starting to replace the bedlam of the invasion and civil war. Iraqis have been returning to their homes in mixed neighborhoods in Baghdad, but now rural people, fleeing in droves from the increasingly arid provinces, are also showing up in urban centers. </p> <p>The Marsh Arabs have left their lands in large numbers, according to Nasiriyah’s governor, Qusey al-Ebadi, who has yet to find ways to accommodate them. “They are nomadic people and move around during difficult times,” says al-Ebadi, “but I have never seen them coming into the cities with their animals like this.” The men of the Marshlands — now far from their ancestral lands — mill around in small groups on street corners in Nasiriyah, many searching for laboring work, looking incongruous and desperate. </p> <p>The people from the Shatt al-Arab area of the southern Marshlands also need accommodating. Government estimates suggest as many as 30,000 have left their lands, all but abandoning their agrarian livelihoods. Thousands more have been pushed to the brink of survival. If the Tigris and the Karoon do not flow again toward the Shatt al-Arab, the ecosystem they have relied on is all but finished. </p> <p>The water crisis could not have come at a worse time for Prime Minister al-Maliki, who has spent much of his time and energy as leader attempting to win enough authority to assert his will. His formula had been security first and stability second, followed by delivery of services. So far, he has achieved qualified approval on the first two, but abject failure on the third. </p> <p>Iraq’s energy sector is in a desperate state of disrepair. In late October, a rare thunder and lightning storm that brought the first rains to Baghdad in seven months caused power to crash citywide for eight hours. Even without rain, or other disturbances such as dust or wind, most residents of the capital are getting by on no more than a half-day of regular electricity, the vast bulk supplied by coal-burning energy plants that generate power channeled by substations resembling museum pieces. What little electricity supply exists is frequently targeted by militias who boast of their intent to return the society (literally) to the dark ages. Sewer lines have only been dug in the most affluent areas and city roads are, at best, rudimentary. </p> <p>With a national election looming in early March, al-Maliki knows that his current base of support across Iraq’s religious and ethnic divides is fragile. Failure to give Iraqis the essential services they have long craved — especially electricity, water, and sewerage –will likely spell his doom. Twice this fall, he has traveled to the Shia bastion of Basra to assess the plight of the Shatt al-Arab and to persuade locals that all is not lost. It is a hard sell for the people of the south, who collectively still see themselves as being as deeply deprived today as they were under Saddam. </p> <p>For the prime minister to blame his nation’s neighbors for water woes is unlikely to fly. Beyond the troubles over the water supply, al-Maliki has pointedly accused Syria of destabilizing Iraq by sheltering former Baathists, who, he claims, funded two bombing campaigns that targeted three government ministries and the Baghdad municipal government headquarters in August and October. All four buildings were annihilated, with almost 300 people killed and more than 1,000 maimed. While wagging his finger at Damascus, al-Maliki has also been constantly promising patronage to the southern tribes and an entrée to state coffers if they fall in behind him. Months before a definitive election and amid an unparalleled ecological crisis, the tribes are, at best, restless. And water is near the top of their worry list. </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>Enough Blame to Go Around </p> </p> <p>“The government didn’t do this directly, it’s true,” says tribesman Maher al-Zubaidi, as he surveys the shrinking Euphrates in Nasiriyah. “But they tell us they are strong now and yet they can’t stand up to the Turks. Wars have started in this region for a lot less. Also, Iraq constantly cries poor, yet we read about the trade minister taking a cut from every kilo of imported grain and see enormous revenues from oil. The time has long past for them to deliver.” </p> <p>The Turks, though sympathetic to the plight of their downstream neighbors, lay much of the blame at the feet of Iraqi bureaucrats who have done next to nothing to protect an already precious natural resource from atrocious water management practices. It is not uncommon to see burst water-mains spouting geysers through Baghdad’s parched suburbs or across village roads, quickly mixing with refuse and oil, turning into giant molasses-like pools. Almost all public taps invariably leak, and environmental awareness is close to nonexistent. </p> <p>Publicly, Turkey will say nothing on the subject of its water dispute with Iraq, other than that it is working with both Syria and Iran to remedy the situation and has agreed to share daily technical data with both sides on flows. After recent floods near Istanbul, a limited extra release was allowed into the Euphrates system. It was soon stopped. The saga was symptomatic of Iraq’s dilemma and its lack of means to do much about it. Again, Baghdad had to make do with what its neighbors could spare on a good day. Iraq is yet to press its case for water rights under international law and, with its hand weakened by so many ongoing woes, the government does not currently hold much sway in the region. </p> <p>The torpor is of no comfort to Iraq’s downstream dwellers. Back in al-Akeryah Marshlands, Awda Khasaf kicks a splintering skiff that used to ply the lowland waterways. The last six months, he says, have changed everything. “If the Turks release all the water that used to come down the Euphrates, then the Marshes will fill up again within two months and we will recover. But that is not going to happen. They caught the government off guard while it was obsessed with the war and now they have a chokehold on us. This has had a revolutionary effect. The Turks have the upper-hand and until we are strong enough to stand up for ourselves, all we can do is pray for a flood. Look at them. They are not serious about helping us. They are trying to build another dam [the Ilus hydroelectric plant planned for southeastern Turkey, on the northern reaches of the Tigris]. Only when we can stand up can we address this. For now…” He leaves the last thought hanging, possibly conjuring up the same apocalyptic vision that started our conversation: only the good Lord can save us. </p> <p>In the short term, it would appear that divine intervention is Iraq’s best hope. The means to address water management effectively seem decades away. Much of the country’s infrastructure belongs in scrap yards or exhibits of nineteenth-century industrial artifacts. Re-laying water pipes nationwide for urban water delivery would likely take the better part of a generation. Desalination has been considered during cabinet meetings and projects have been offered by investors from the cash-rich Gulf states, which rely heavily, if not exclusively, on desalinated water. But Iraqi officials have so far described the costs as prohibitive. “It might work out for a small state like Abu Dhabi that doesn’t need tens of thousands of kilometers of pipeline,” says one minister. “But for us, it is a non-starter for now.” </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>Globalization Woes </p> </p> <p>The crisis of 2009 has revealed some domestic inefficiencies that Iraq’s farmers will struggle to reverse. Wholesalers have been able to import and distribute fresh produce at market rates that compete successfully with what domestic consumers would have paid for locally grown produce. Hundreds of tons of bananas have been flown in from Somalia, watermelons from Iran, rice from the Far East, and bottled water from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. </p> <p>Water woes are playing a big part in turning Iraq into a net food importer. But so are the cost-efficient alternatives introduced to the Iraqi market by companies in both developing states and Western nations, all of which are clamoring to service some 20 million people who, for the most part, have always relied on homegrown produce. </p> <p>Apart from small pockets that can still harness water from the Euphrates, much of Iraq’s politically and strategically critical Anbar province is now a dust bowl. So, too, is Diyala province, north of Baghdad, which boasts some of the most fertile alluvial soil in the land. Both areas were ground zero for the Sunni militancy — Anbar the so-called triangle of death, Diyala the declared heartland of a new Islamic caliphate in 2006. The al-Maliki government had hoped to appease insurgents with the promise of prosperity. But as 2009 draws to a close, the notion seems fanciful. Family incomes are down substantially in many areas. The violence, successfully quelled throughout the past two years, is again on the rise, especially in Anbar. </p> <p>Iraq’s provinces and some of its most dangerous towns have been the focus of work throughout the past five years by American reconstruction teams, especially the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which in October wound up its mission. The engineers left, claiming that 21.2 million Iraqis now had access to potable drinking water, up from just over 5 million people immediately after the invasion. Last year, in the giant Sadr City slum in Baghdad’s northeast, the Army Corps built a treatment plant which draws and purifies water from the Tigris. The net effect, the Army claims, has been an increase from 46 to 200 in the per capita liters of water per day for Sadr City residents. The bill for the project was $65 million. </p> <p>In all, the engineers completed 25 large water distribution projects across the country as well as 800 smaller water sector projects that delivered potable water to many Iraqis who had no such luxury before Saddam fell. But now the engineers are gone. Gone with them is the bulk of America’s capacity to do more good works before the White House orders the last troops out late next year. </p> <p>Water distribution at the micro level is undoubtedly better than it was. But in a macro sense, the efforts amount to a small splash in a large pond. Iraq has giant subterranean lakes of another precious resource — oil — under the soil at both ends of the country and appears to be betting its future on turning anticipated revenues into purchasing power and regional clout today. </p> <p>Oil is Iraq’s meal ticket — a buffer against both drought and geopolitical impotence. The cabinet has been absorbed over the past six months with finding a formula that offers foreign investors enough financial incentives to bring their expertise to the badlands, while at the same time retaining control of the oil sector and the billions of petro-dollars it is likely to produce. But while the promise of future riches and power may see the waters flow again one day, on the barren plains of Iraq’s south a simpler business plan is taking shape. </p> <p>Alongside the highway between Baghdad and Basra — a giant, Saddam-era, four-lane road built to move tanks and troops — a rare agricultural success story is emerging. To travel this road in 2005-06 was to almost guarantee a run-in with a militia group, or an angry burst of bullets fired from a nearby sand berm. It remained a no-go zone to most non-Iraqis until the middle of 2008. By then, scorched wrecks of tankers lined the highway along with the charred chassis of the occasional American Hummer or private security company four-wheel-drive vehicle, conspicuous by its blackened, rusting bulk. </p> <p>Even today, giant scabs of charred bitumen are missing along the entire stretch to Basra, legacies of improvised bombs and aerial strikes that turned Iraq’s main arterial highway into a Mad Max-like wasteland. But now, dozens of salt farms line both sides of the road. There had always been a small salt industry, especially in the center of Iraq, near the cities of Babylon and Najaf, but with rapid water depletion turning lakes into shallow, salinated pools, dozens of small enterprises have now sprung up. Salt, piled in pyramid-style heaps, pockmarks the horizon of a barren landscape once covered in year-round sheets of water. One farmer sold his flock of goats to concentrate on salt. “I have around 190 kilos here,” he says, pointing at his pile. “It’s much more [profit] than I will get this year from dates.” </p> <p>The salt is then taken to market in Baghdad, where a small export industry is tipped to develop this year. Until the oil money kicks in or its neighbors turn on the taps again, success in the salt pans is likely to be a rare high-water mark for Iraq. In the short term, it would appear that divine intervention is Iraq’s best hope. The means to address water management effectively seems decades away. </p> <p><b></b> </p> <p>Martin Chulov is the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/martin-chulov" class="external" target="_blank">Baghdad correspondent </a>for the Guardian of London.</p> </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=36192" class="external" target="_blank">Middle East Online</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7401"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/10/01/dam-disputes-strain-turkey-iraq-ties/#respond" title="Comment on Dam disputes strain Turkey-Iraq ties">No Comments</a></span> Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/10/01/dam-disputes-strain-turkey-iraq-ties/" 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align="right"> <p>ISTANBUL – Images of suburban Istanbul submerged by torrential floods have adorned the front pages of Turkey’s dailies over the past few weeks. The fallout from pictures of cars as boats and roads as rivers, has drowned out a potentially more pressing problem for the government in Ankara: the country’s growing water shortage problem. </p> <p>The heaviest rainfall in Turkey for 80 years in early September has disguised the fact that growing water consumption is placing greater pressure on natural resources and straining Turkey’s relations with its drought-ridden neighbor, Iraq, to the south. Indeed, while footage of taupe-colored waters possessing the streets of Turkey’s largest city were broadcast on 24-hour news channels, Iraq has been grabbing the headlines for its fourth consecutive year of drought. </p> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"> <p><a title="20090520_3_reservoirs_created_by_dams_on_the_Euphrates_River" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/3883805709/" target="_blank" class="external"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" alt="20090520_3_reservoirs_created_by_dams_on_the_Euphrates_River" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457im_/http://static.flickr.com/3459/3883805709_68343d11d9.jpg" border="0"/></a></p> <p>Three reservoirs created by dams on the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.eosnap.com/?s=euphrates" target="_blank" class="external">Euphrates River</a> are visible here in the southeastern Anatolia region of  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.eosnap.com/?s=turkey" target="_blank" class="external">Turkey</a>. From top to bottom, they are the lakes of the  Keban Dam, Karakaya Dam and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.eosnap.com/?p=2276" target="_blank" class="external">Atatürk Dam</a>. </p> <p>Lake Atatürk Dam extends over an area of 817 km2 (315 sq mi), with a water volume of 48.7 km³ (63,400 million cu yd), and ranks third in size in Turkey after Lake Van and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.eosnap.com/?s=tuz" target="_blank" class="external">Lake Tuz</a>. </p> <p>The reservoir water level touched 535 m amsl in 1994. Since then, it has varied between 526 and 537 m amsl. The full reservoir level is 542 m (1,780 ft) and the minimum operation level is 526 m (1,730 ft) amsl. </p> <p>Between the Keban and Karakaya Reservoirs, slightly east, is a natural lake, Lake Hazar. It is located in the Taurus Mountains, southeast of Elazig, and is notable as the source of the Tigris. </p> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.eosnap.com/?tag=ataturk-dam" target="_blank" class="external">Earth Snapshot • Ataturk Dam</a></p> </p></div> <p>According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Iraq had its worst cereal harvest in a decade in 2009, with yields falling to less than a third of the average for the last ten years. The government in Baghdad has, therefore, been pressing hard for its northern neighbor to release more water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which rise in Turkey’s eastern mountains. Although an interim agreement for water sharing was reached on September 19 at a strategic cooperation council meeting in Istanbul, the issue continues to strain bilateral relations. </p> <p>Speaking at the conclusion of the meeting, Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Latif Rashid, said, "The shortage of water in Iraq has affected the environment, has affected drinking water, has affected agriculture and the livelihood of the Iraqi people … We had a very successful meeting because we have promised to increase the flow in the Euphrates for a season … That will help us to [overcome] this critical situation and I hope in the following years that we will be in a better position to make some permanent arrangement with our partners in Syria and Turkey." </p> <p>However, such a permanent agreement seems a long way off. Turkey has made it clear that it does not believe in multilateral water sharing agreements but rather that such issues should be resolved bilaterally. According to Serpil Acikalin, a researcher on the Middle East at the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization, "Turkey does not want to be bound by a permanent agreement on the water issue." </p> <p>The Turkish government has refused to sign the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. While Turkey is certainly not alone in this, with the UN not even half way to getting the 35 countries necessary to ratify the document as of 2008, it is still indicative of Turkey’s reluctance to enter into long-term binding international agreements. An official in Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Asia Times Online that the country’s trans-boundry water policy remained a "very delicate issue". </p> <p>With 40% of Turkey’s water potential coming from trans-boundary waters, the country’s future water security and its relations with its southern neighbors rests on this very policy. The government continues to argue that this is an opportunity for international cooperation rather than conflict. However, according to Erkin Erdogan, project coordinator for ecological issues at the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Istanbul, "As far as I can see, it [negotiation] is not working. Conflict with the Kurdish government [of northern Iraq] is ongoing. They say they have good relations but it is not the case. Several times Iraq has made quite harsh press announcements. The possibility of solving the problem is not that great. Turkey wants to use all its advantages." </p> <p>This issue is certainly not new. In 1990, president Saddam Hussein demanded that Turkey increase the water flow through to Iraq to 700 cubic meters per second. The Turkish president, Yildirim Aktuna, declined the request, which led to the suspension of a security protocol between the countries. However, the issue has now taken on added urgency. Iraq has been afflicted by a crippling drought at a time when water flows from Turkey are diminishing. </p> <p>The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources told IRIN, the news agency of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that the water flow from the Euphrates stood at 360 cubic meters per second in mid-August, while the flow from the Tigris stood at 100-160 cubic meters per second, both below the 500 cubic meters per second that the ministry said was required to meet agricultural and industrial needs. Turkey says it is willing to work with Iraq, and Syria, on water issues and has mooted plans to construct irrigation and agricultural projects for both countries. However, so far these plans have been rejected and while Syria is currently quiet on the water issue, Iraq continues to make its disappointment known. </p> <p>The water issue is, therefore, threatening to sour relations that had been improving rapidly over recent years. "In the last two years a significant improvement between the two sides has been observed. Mutual visits by high-level officials and Turkey’s contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq increased the trust," says Acikalin. "Security concerns were replaced by opportunities for cooperation … Turkey is Iraq’s largest export partner and Iraq comes in as the fourth-largest partner for Turkey." </p> <p>Neither side wants to jeopardize this. However, while interim diplomatic solutions have been reached, the Tigris and Euphrates River basin remains crucial for both Turkey and Iraq. Thirty-one percent of Turkey’s water potential comes from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, making them central to development plans. Although Turkey has a higher water resource per capita than either Iraq or Syria, the government is keen to point out that it is far from water rich. </p> <p>Between 2003 and 2007, Turkey had an average renewable water resource of 2918 cubic meters per capita, according to Aquastat. This was above Iraq’s level of 2618 cubic meters and Syria’s of 1379 cubic meters, but placed it well below the level of water-rich countries which have a minimum of 8,000-10,000 cubic meters per capita. The Turkish government estimated that the available water per capita in the country was 1586 cubic meters in 2009, less than the world average. This is expected to decrease further sliding below 1000 cubic meters per capita by 2023. </p> <p>The government is, therefore, targeting a greater utilization of water potential and has set its sights on a greater exploitation of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Under the 37 billion Turkish lira [US$25 billion] Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), the government is looking to roll out 22 dams, 19 hydropower plants and irrigation systems. The government predicts that 1.8 million hectares of land will be brought under irrigation, and that energy production in the underdeveloped region will reach 27.387 gigawatt-hours of power. The project has become a key component of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s plans to quieten the restive, predominantly Kurdish, southeast of the country. </p> <p>However, these plans will strongly impact the lower riparian states of Iraq and Syria. For example, plans for the Ilisu dam on the Tigris River have been met with sharp criticism. In July 2008, an official in Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources told the al-Sabah newspaper that the Ilisu dam would reduce the waters of the Tigris River by 47% and deprive the northern Iraqi city of Mosul of 50% of its summer water requirements. </p> <p>Many analysts believe that the development of a series of dams on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers would severely undermine Syria and Iraq’s access to water. According to Erdogan, "One of the main issues with the Ilisu dam is the issue of hegemony. It will let the Turkish government control the Tigris River and will have a bad affect on the other countries. This is a mechanism to control the water in the region." </p> <p>The Turkish government argues that it is constantly seeking solutions to trans-boundary water issues. However, for Ankara, the Euphrates-Tigris basin is seen as the key to the country’s future energy needs and to the socio-economic development of the southeast of the country. Meanwhile, for Iraq, the land between the two rivers, a symbol of the country’s abundant natural heritage is slowly turning into a badge of want. </p> <p><strong>Source: </strong><a title="Asia Times" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page.html" target="_blank" class="external">Asia Times</a> | "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ02Ak03.html" target="_blank" class="external">Dam disputes strain Turkey-Iraq ties</a>" By Patrick Wrigley. Patrick Wrigley is a freelance journalist based in Istanbul. He writes extensively on Turkey and the Middle East.</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-6523"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/06/14/minister-blames-turkey-for-iraq-drought/#respond" title="Comment on Minister blames Turkey for Iraq drought">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 14th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/06/14/minister-blames-turkey-for-iraq-drought/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Minister blames Turkey for Iraq drought">Minister blames Turkey for Iraq drought</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dams/" rel="tag">Dams</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drought/" rel="tag">drought</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/euphrates-river/" rel="tag">Euphrates river,</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irrigation/" rel="tag">irrigation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resources/" rel="tag">water resources</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Turkey has not followed through on its agreement to supply Iraq with the water it desperately needs, the Iraqi water minister has claimed. <br/>Despite pledging to allow water to flow at an increased rate from the Euphrates River to Iraq after many formal requests, the Turkish government has yet to provide the country with more water. <br/>Iraq has been suffering from a drought for nearly three years, which has been made worse by hydroelectric dams placed in the Euphrates by Turkey, restricting the flow of the water to Iraq. <br/>Now in the height of its agricultural season, Iraq needs the water in order to carry out its harvesting plans.  <br/>“We have made our request through the proper official channels and through our official meetings with Turkey,” Dr Abdul Latif Rashid, Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, told The Media Line in an exclusive interview. <br/>“But unfortunately the amount of water which we have requested from Turkey has not reached us.” <br/>“Because of the reservoirs and dams which are built in Turkey, our share of water has decreased drastically,” Rashid explained. <br/>“The middle and south of Iraq are suffering a severe drought, and now it is the season of agriculture, but we don’t have sufficient water to have our agriculture plans implemented.” <br/>The flow from the Euphrates to Iraq is currently 230cu m per second, and the agreement with Turkey stipulated an increase in flow of up to 360cu m per second. <br/>The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on whether or not the government planned to supply Iraq with more water, stating only that, “there is no tension between Turkey and Iraq on the water issue.” <br/>According to a report issued by the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service, Iraq’s drought is the result of extremely low rainfall and irrigation supply shortages. While the drought has already affected the grain production for the spring season, it is bound to have even more detrimental consequences in winter. <br/>Winter grain crops, which constitute 85% of food production each year in Iraq, are expected to reach record-low production rates. This will cause an increased reliance on foreign grain imports in the 2009 – 2010 marketing year. <br/>“I hope they will release more water,” Rashid said. “If it doesn’t come through shortly, I am planning to pay a visit to Turkey.”</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=297104&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17" class="external" target="_blank">Gulf Times – Minister blames Turkey for Iraq drought – Gulf/Arab World</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-6244"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/05/20/iraqi-mp-predicts-war-with-turkey/#respond" title="Comment on Iraqi MP predicts war with Turkey">No Comments</a></span> Posted on May 20th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/05/20/iraqi-mp-predicts-war-with-turkey/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraqi MP predicts war with Turkey">Iraqi MP predicts war with Turkey</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/early-warning/" title="View all posts in Early Warning" rel="category tag">Early Warning</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/agriculture/" rel="tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ataturk-dam/" rel="tag">Ataturk Dam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/construction-of-dams/" rel="tag">construction of dams</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dams/" rel="tag">Dams</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/early-warning/" rel="tag">Early Warning</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ilisu-dam/" rel="tag">Ilisu Dam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-economy/" rel="tag">iraqi economy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" rel="tag">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote><p>He has said the war will be caused by dam construction on Tigris and Euphrates rivers. </p> <p>A member of the Iraqi parliament Muzhir Al-Hakim claims a war might break out between Iraq and Turkey over the water issue. He further said construction of dams on Tigris and Euphrates rivers would be equal to death for Iraqi people. “Turkey’s efforts to built water dams on these rivers mean to kill Iraq people. These actions demonstrate that Turkey seeks war with Iraq,” he said. </p> <p>“Whether, it will be connected with water or not, but there will be war between Turkey and Iraq in the future. Construction of water dams will negatively impact Iraqi economy and agriculture.” Iraqi parliamentarian stressed. He also called on Turkey, Iraq and Syria to take critical actions on the issue. </p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://www.anspress.com/nid115744.html" target="_blank" class="external">ANS Press | Iraqi MP predicts war with Turkey</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517004457/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/hezbollah-says-latest-bombings-in-iraq-thwart-mission-to-build-state/">Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build state”</a></li> <li><a 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