08-12-2009
Baghdad - The Iraqi government declared that if Iran and Turkey keep using water as a way of pressuring Iraq, the Iraqi government might consider breaking ties with Teheran and Ankara.
Ali Allak, spokesman of the Iraqi cabinet said that the Iraqi cabinet sees the water issues with the neighbouring counties as the highest priority. Iraq is willing to seek a compromise, but Ali Allak warns, if these countries do not cooperate completely by releasing more water, ‘then Iraq will break all political and economical ties with both governments.”
Both Turkey and Iran have been busy with building dams near the border, limiting the water flow of the Tigris and the Euphrates, while Iraq has been facing severe droughts and water problems. The spokesman of the cabinet emphasizes that the ties with Iran and Turkey are dependent on solving the water issue (Photo: Rudaw).
© Rudaw
