Water Resources: Turkey joins Iran in ignoring Iraq's rights to shared rivers

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[size=52]Water Resources: Turkey joins Iran in ignoring Iraq's rights to shared rivers[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]Turkey joined Iran in the position of ignoring Iraq's requests to obtain its rights in the shared rivers, while the Ministry of Water Resources revealed a tendency to file complaints with human rights organizations, explaining that the International Court of Justice does not consider cases submitted by one party.[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry's advisor, Aoun Diab, said, "The Ministry of Water Resources notes a kind of neglect practiced by neighboring countries for Iraq's need for water under a harsh and difficult circumstance."[/size]
[size=45]Diab added, "The main source of Iraq is the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and there is no other water source, and there has not been enough rain in recent years to meet the needs."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "the issue was initially related to the Iranian side regarding the closure of some rivers and diversion of their courses."[/size]
[size=45]Diab spoke about “submitting a request for international action, after completing it from a technical and legal point of view, to the concerned authorities in the diplomatic side in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers; It is a political and diplomatic issue.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that "the competences of the International Court of Justice do not allow it to consider cases that are submitted by one party, except in agreements in which it becomes contradictory, and the court's decisions in most cases are not binding."[/size]
[size=45]Diab stressed that "the current trend is to submit Iraq's complaints regarding the water file to the international organizations concerned with this issue, such as the Human Rights Organization."[/size]
[size=45]He stated, "Water is a human right and must reach all residents of the river basin."[/size]
[size=45]And Diab, that "Shatt Al-Arab suffers from a big problem, represented by the progress of the saline tongue and its impact on the water environment, and there are other problems related to the impact of the Karkheh River on the Huwaiza marsh, and cutting off the Sirwan and Alwand rivers," stressing that "Diyala at the present time suffers from a water situation. Very difficult.”[/size]
[size=45]He noted that "the Iranian and Turkish sides did not sign the 1997 United Nations Framework Convention, which includes texts governing the relationship between upstream and downstream countries."[/size]
[size=45]The ministerial advisor continues, "The agreement has now entered into force, and therefore the two neighbors must abide by what was stated in it, even if they did not sign its terms."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The Turkish side had shown a kind of response, but this response has recently weakened, and we are in dire need of water, especially during the current season."[/size]
[size=45]Diab continues, "Iraq was building high hopes for the arrival of a Turkish delegation in order to agree on the quantities of water and in the light of which we define the summer plan, but this delegation did not attend until the present time for reasons that we do not know."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The Foreign Ministry approached in order to find out the reasons for the delegation's failure to come; Because we urgently need, at the present time, to understand the quantities of water that secure the needs of the summer, which is characterized by being hot and dry and accompanied by high evaporation with limited water storage.”[/size]
[size=45]Diab continues, "Iraq has many pressure cards on upstream countries, such as trade exchange and the economic aspect, but this issue is not exploited until the present time."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "The use of pressure papers is not within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Water Resources, but rather belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other concerned parties, which is a matter that requires a political decision."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that "the available storage secures the needs of the summer, especially human uses, including drinking."[/size]
[size=45]Diab went on to say that "the storage also deals with the environmental aspect to push the saline water off the Shatt al-Arab and to grow crops that do not require large amounts of water, with the exception of the rice crop, which was affected in the middle Euphrates region."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Iraq's fears lie in the lack of revenue from Turkey, while continuing to consume storage until it runs out. The current revenues are less than the minimum allowed."[/size]
[size=45]Diab went on to say, "Our attempts are focused on raising Turkey's ceiling of revenues to Iraq during the summer to meet our needs, so it is not possible to rely only on the treasury."[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, a member of the Parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee Rafiq Hashem said that "the Turkish side did not abide by the water agreements towards Iraq," calling for "escalation of steps to internationalize the file."[/size]
[size=45]Hashem added, "Many Iraqi villages began to flee due to drought due to Turkey's cutting off water from Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "There is no other option for Iraq but to file a complaint before international forums," noting that "Turkey is using water as a weapon to pressure Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the water expert, Adel Al-Mukhtar, stated that "the Iraqi water storage has fallen to a level that the Ministry of Water Resources refuses to disclose its quantities."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar continued, "The plan that is developed annually on the basis of the areas that are cultivated must be completed," calling for "the development of an agricultural plan in a different way in order to preserve the stock."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "The current storage is not sufficient for one season, with the continued decline in revenues coming from the two neighbors, Turkey and Iran."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar stressed, "the importance of linking the file of dialogue with neighboring countries to a Supreme Council for Water Policies, which gives priority in all fields in order to preserve our water rights."[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that Iraq suffers from a scarce water crisis, amid expectations from observers that water, in light of the current data, is scarce to the point of not securing human needs in Diyala and the areas at the ends of the rivers, while Iran and Turkey continue their refusal to sit at the dialogue table in order to share the damage as stipulated. International agreements regulating international rivers.[/size]
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