Turkeys water resources turn it into a regional power

Intbel · 21-03-2005, 08:46 PM

Ever wondered why Turkey is being welcomed INTO phpbb_the EU fold?

One resource that gives a country in the Middle East region great clout and leverage is its water, something of which Turkey has plenty.

But Turkey's water wealth, being the home of the Euphrates and Tigris sources along with 24 other large river basins, has also been a source of tension with its water-starved southern neighbors, Syria and Iraq.

Controlling the source of the two rivers, gives Turkey first use of the water to best serve its agriculture and industry and leaving its two southern neighbours at Ankara's benevolence over the crucial supply.

In 1981, tensions rose when Turkey started the construction of the Ataturk dam, the fifth largest in the world and part of the ambitious Southeastern Anatolia project (GAP).
The project, which is due to be completed in 2010 but many say will realistically be finished closer to 2020 due to lack of funding, (one has to ask - will EU funding be made available?) is designed to develop one of Turkey's poorest regions.

However, the dam will also cut Syria's flow from the Euphrates by 40 percent and Iraq's by 90 percent.

The Euphrates is 2,300 kilometers long running south INTO phpbb_Syria and then on INTO phpbb_Iraq.

Turkey lays claim to 88 percent of the Euphrates's flow and 50 percent of the Tigris's, which Ankara claims gives it every right to a free and independent use of the water.

Turkey's claim is further helped by there being no international agreements governing the division of water resources between countries sharing a river.

Syria has accused Turkey of depriving them of their rightful heritage with the GAP project an argument Ankara dismisses saying that Damascus is wasting the water it gets due to an archaic irrigation system.

Turkey and Syria first came to an agreement in 1987, when Ankara guaranteed a flow of 500 cubic meters per second to Syria, half of its natural flow but the agreement did not stipulate how much water Syria had to let through to Iraq.

In 1992, the three neighbours established a technical committee to negotiate how to share the water, but that committee has yet to yield any results.

Relations though have improved since Syria signed a security pact with Turkey in 1998 after the two came to brink of war over Damascus' support for Kurdish rebels. The regime change in Iraq could also help talks, officials and analysts say.

"The changes in the region have created a better environment to discuss the water question," said one Turkish diplomat who asked to remain anonymous.

"The problem persists," said Huseyin Bagci, a professor in international relations, but the means to overcome the problem have changed considerably due to the political changes in Iraq and the greater political transparency in Damascus.

"The question can be negotiated without any of the protagonists feeling threatened," Bagci said.

Turkey is also trying to cash in on the precious resource by selling water from the Manavgat River, shipping it from the Mediterranean port of Antalya to potential clients such as Israel or Jordan in a project named "Water of Peace".

social observer · 22-03-2005, 10:37 AM

There are increasing predictions that we could soon start seeing the first of many 'water wars' between countries over just this kind of situation.

What would Syria and Iraq (when it manages to get some semblence of stability) do if Turkey reneged on the deal?

I bet the same situation exists between quite a few African and Southease Asian countries too.

What would Europe do if the flow of the Rhine out of Germany were to be restricted?

Although politics plays a part here, this is a global issue to do with overpopulation, poor handling practices and a myriad of other factors.

Intbel · 22-03-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by social observer

Although politics plays a part here, this is a global issue to do with overpopulation, poor handling practices and a myriad of other factors.

I am more concernd with water supply problems closer to home.
Thousands of new houses being planned for the South East - while already we have been warned of water shortages this summer ...

Also, since privatisation, that foreign countries now own some of our utilities is also a matter for concern.

When another country controls one's water supply one has cause to be concerned, methinks.

social observer · 23-03-2005, 08:22 AM

Agreed, it compels us to be 'nice' (ie roll over) to them in matters of trade and agreements

Intbel · 07-04-2006, 07:46 PM

Conservative corruption left such a broad tideline that it isn’t easy to say where the highwater mark was. But many would choose a story which resulted in the most humiliating legal verdict any recent British government has faced: the Pergau dam scandal. The Tory administration, being determined to secure contracts for both its arms manufacturers and the construction company Balfour Beatty, misdirected some £200 million to finance a white elephant dam in Malaysia, through an obscure funding mechanism called the Aid and Trade Provision.

If, somehow, you managed to miss this drama, don’t worry. The whole intriguing tale is now being repeated by a government near you. The Labour administration, being determined to secure contracts for both its arms manufacturers and the construction company Balfour Beatty, has misdirected some £200 million to finance a white elephant dam in Turkey, through an obscure funding mechanism called the Export Credit Guarantee Department.

There is, however, one critical difference. The primary purpose of the Pergau dam, like that of most major construction, was to provide lucrative work for large companies. The Ilisu Dam in Turkey will certainly fulfill this function. Like Pergau, it will also provide some electricity, though not, of course, as much as forecast. But the main purposes of the Turkish government’s project are quite different. The first is to hold Syria and Iraq to ransom by controlling the flow of the River Tigris. The second is to assist its ethnic cleansing programme.

The ancient city of Hasankeyf is one of the most important archaeological sites on earth, continuously inhabited for 10,000 years, bearing the remains of nine distinct civilisations. The Kurds regard the city as their cultural heartland. Turkey sees it as an emblem of resistance. When Hasankeyf and surrounding settlements are drowned by the dam, some twenty thousand Kurds will be forced from their homes and moved INTO phpbb_model villages in which they can be monitored and controlled. Our government, which went to war in the spring to stop ethnic cleansing, is, in the winter, underwriting it.

It is not hard to see why. European leaders have just agreed that Turkey can join the union: one result will be valuable contracts for British companies if the government can forge strong commercial links with the Turkish administration. Turkey has recently doubled its military budget, partly in order to complete its destruction of the Kurds. British companies see the country’s defence sector as a massive potential market.

girlfriday · 07-04-2006, 08:00 PM

Turkey may also owe the EU substantial sums of credit for many of its pet projects. It might interest some to learn that Iraq owes Russia over 70 billion dollars, and to France over 30 billion, presumably in both cases, for large military expenditures. Not surprising that the West has an interest in Iraq's mineral wealth. There is also a massive Natural Gas pipeline from Russia that goes straight through Turkey on its way to the Med. Turkey thus becomes a key player in the distribution of energy to the West

Intbel · 07-04-2006, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlfriday

It might interest some to learn that Iraq owes Russia over 70 billion dollars, and to France over 30 billion, presumably in both cases, for large military expenditures.

Thnx. I didn't know that ... must be slipping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlfriday

Not surprising that the West has an interest in Iraq's mineral wealth. There is also a massive Natural Gas pipeline from Russia that goes straight through Turkey on its way to the Med. Turkey thus becomes a key player in the distribution of energy to the West

The West has an interest in evryone's wealth and resources. and will do anything - literally anything - to gain control over them.

Who the hell do folks think blew up that shrine in Iraq for instance?

21-03-2005, 08:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Intbel Uber Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a field near you - look for the yellow and purple tent ... Posts: 4,665	Turkeys water resources turn it INTO phpbb_a regional power Ever wondered why Turkey is being welcomed INTO phpbb_the EU fold? One resource that gives a country in the Middle East region great clout and leverage is its water, something of which Turkey has plenty. But Turkey's water wealth, being the home of the Euphrates and Tigris sources along with 24 other large river basins, has also been a source of tension with its water-starved southern neighbors, Syria and Iraq. Controlling the source of the two rivers, gives Turkey first use of the water to best serve its agriculture and industry and leaving its two southern neighbours at Ankara's benevolence over the crucial supply. In 1981, tensions rose when Turkey started the construction of the Ataturk dam, the fifth largest in the world and part of the ambitious Southeastern Anatolia project (GAP). The project, which is due to be completed in 2010 but many say will realistically be finished closer to 2020 due to lack of funding, (one has to ask - will EU funding be made available?) is designed to develop one of Turkey's poorest regions. However, the dam will also cut Syria's flow from the Euphrates by 40 percent and Iraq's by 90 percent. The Euphrates is 2,300 kilometers long running south INTO phpbb_Syria and then on INTO phpbb_Iraq. Turkey lays claim to 88 percent of the Euphrates's flow and 50 percent of the Tigris's, which Ankara claims gives it every right to a free and independent use of the water. Turkey's claim is further helped by there being no international agreements governing the division of water resources between countries sharing a river. Syria has accused Turkey of depriving them of their rightful heritage with the GAP project an argument Ankara dismisses saying that Damascus is wasting the water it gets due to an archaic irrigation system. Turkey and Syria first came to an agreement in 1987, when Ankara guaranteed a flow of 500 cubic meters per second to Syria, half of its natural flow but the agreement did not stipulate how much water Syria had to let through to Iraq. In 1992, the three neighbours established a technical committee to negotiate how to share the water, but that committee has yet to yield any results. Relations though have improved since Syria signed a security pact with Turkey in 1998 after the two came to brink of war over Damascus' support for Kurdish rebels. The regime change in Iraq could also help talks, officials and analysts say. "The changes in the region have created a better environment to discuss the water question," said one Turkish diplomat who asked to remain anonymous. "The problem persists," said Huseyin Bagci, a professor in international relations, but the means to overcome the problem have changed considerably due to the political changes in Iraq and the greater political transparency in Damascus. "The question can be negotiated without any of the protagonists feeling threatened," Bagci said. Turkey is also trying to cash in on the precious resource by selling water from the Manavgat River, shipping it from the Mediterranean port of Antalya to potential clients such as Israel or Jordan in a project named "Water of Peace".

22-03-2005, 10:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
social observer Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cambs/Norfolk Border Posts: 290	There are increasing predictions that we could soon start seeing the first of many 'water wars' between countries over just this kind of situation. What would Syria and Iraq (when it manages to get some semblence of stability) do if Turkey reneged on the deal? I bet the same situation exists between quite a few African and Southease Asian countries too. What would Europe do if the flow of the Rhine out of Germany were to be restricted? Although politics plays a part here, this is a global issue to do with overpopulation, poor handling practices and a myriad of other factors. __________________ If you don\'t like what I think, attack the opinion with Logic and reason, don\'t attack the opinion holder!

23-03-2005, 08:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
social observer Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cambs/Norfolk Border Posts: 290	Agreed, it compels us to be 'nice' (ie roll over) to them in matters of trade and agreements __________________ If you don\'t like what I think, attack the opinion with Logic and reason, don\'t attack the opinion holder!

07-04-2006, 07:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Intbel Uber Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a field near you - look for the yellow and purple tent ... Posts: 4,665	update. Conservative corruption left such a broad tideline that it isn’t easy to say where the highwater mark was. But many would choose a story which resulted in the most humiliating legal verdict any recent British government has faced: the Pergau dam scandal. The Tory administration, being determined to secure contracts for both its arms manufacturers and the construction company Balfour Beatty, misdirected some £200 million to finance a white elephant dam in Malaysia, through an obscure funding mechanism called the Aid and Trade Provision. If, somehow, you managed to miss this drama, don’t worry. The whole intriguing tale is now being repeated by a government near you. The Labour administration, being determined to secure contracts for both its arms manufacturers and the construction company Balfour Beatty, has misdirected some £200 million to finance a white elephant dam in Turkey, through an obscure funding mechanism called the Export Credit Guarantee Department. There is, however, one critical difference. The primary purpose of the Pergau dam, like that of most major construction, was to provide lucrative work for large companies. The Ilisu Dam in Turkey will certainly fulfill this function. Like Pergau, it will also provide some electricity, though not, of course, as much as forecast. But the main purposes of the Turkish government’s project are quite different. The first is to hold Syria and Iraq to ransom by controlling the flow of the River Tigris. The second is to assist its ethnic cleansing programme. The ancient city of Hasankeyf is one of the most important archaeological sites on earth, continuously inhabited for 10,000 years, bearing the remains of nine distinct civilisations. The Kurds regard the city as their cultural heartland. Turkey sees it as an emblem of resistance. When Hasankeyf and surrounding settlements are drowned by the dam, some twenty thousand Kurds will be forced from their homes and moved INTO phpbb_model villages in which they can be monitored and controlled. Our government, which went to war in the spring to stop ethnic cleansing, is, in the winter, underwriting it. It is not hard to see why. European leaders have just agreed that Turkey can join the union: one result will be valuable contracts for British companies if the government can forge strong commercial links with the Turkish administration. Turkey has recently doubled its military budget, partly in order to complete its destruction of the Kurds. British companies see the country’s defence sector as a massive potential market. __________________ We are all free to choose - every step of the way - no exceptions.

07-04-2006, 08:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
girlfriday Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: england Posts: 238	Turkey and the EU Turkey may also owe the EU substantial sums of credit for many of its pet projects. It might interest some to learn that Iraq owes Russia over 70 billion dollars, and to France over 30 billion, presumably in both cases, for large military expenditures. Not surprising that the West has an interest in Iraq's mineral wealth. There is also a massive Natural Gas pipeline from Russia that goes straight through Turkey on its way to the Med. Turkey thus becomes a key player in the distribution of energy to the West

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