１９９７年９月，イスタンブールにおいて国際水利用国際会議が開催された。これを機会に，トルコと下流のイラク及びシリアとの応酬があった。これは，トルコの大規模ダム計画がその契機となっている。この両地域の，チグリス・ユーフラテス川の水を中心とした長年の紛争については，私のHPの「河川開発」の「ユーフラテス」を見て下さい。
関連ニュース
Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The following news report
may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Reuters Ltd.
By Issam Hamza
DAMASCUS, Feb 17 (Reuter) - Syria on Monday warned Arab states they will
suffer a shortage of 171 billion cubic metres of water by 2030 and called
for a joint strategy to confront the expected crisis. Abdel-Qadir Qaddoura,
speaker of Syria's parliament, told an Arab seminar on water that more
than 160 billion cubic metres of the water used annually by Arabs come
from external resources. He also accused Israel of "looting waters
from the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian occupied lands" and said
Damascus would insist on its rights in water and land.
Representatives from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Libya, Tunisia,
Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, the Arab League and Palestine are taking
part in the two-day gathering. The seminar, sponsored by the Arab Parliamentary
Union, is discussing water and its strategic importance in the Arab world.
In an implicit reference to Turkey, the Syrian parliamentary speaker said
some neighbours were using illegal ways to deny Arabs their rights to water.
"Every day we see explicit or implicit attempts by some neighbouring
countries to deny us our rights to water by ignoring international laws
and conventions and by resorting to illegal means," Qaddoura said.
Syria and Iraq accuse Turkey of sharply reducing the flow of waters from
the river Euphrates to their downstream countries by building huge dams.
Qaddoura referred to Israel directly, saying its claim to the waters in
the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, was illegal.
"Every day we see the Israeli government looting waters from the Syrian,
Lebanese and Palestinian occupied lands. We see also attempts by successive
Israeli governments to claim rights over our waters. These claims have
no legal basis," Qaddoura said. Mohammed al-Basir, representative
of Morocco which currently chairs the Arab Parliamentary Union, said in
a speech more than 53 percent of Arab citizens were receiving less than
1,000 cubic metres of water per year, which is the minimum amount needed
by a single citizen.
"The water crisis in the Middle East is one of the most challenging
issues during the coming years because of israel's greed in Arab waters,"
Basir said.
Iraq, angry over Turkey's military incursion against Kurdish rebels [HOME] [News] [TOP]
Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The following news report
may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Reuters Ltd.
ISTANBUL,
Sept 30 (Reuter) - Iraq, angry over Turkey's military incursion against
Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, called on Tuesday for action to resolve
a long-standing dispute between the two countries over water sharing. The
head of Iraq's delegation at an Istanbul conference on water project financing
said his country faced the threat of deteriorating water supplies from
rivers flowing through Turkey into Iraq.
"Turkey must not harm us, whether in the quantity or the quality of
the water we receive," Akram al-Witry, director general at the Iraqi
foreign ministry, told journalists at a break during the conference. His
remarks followed Baghdad's condemnation of a Turkish military operation
against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in northern Iraq.
About 15,000 Turkish troops, supported by Kurdish militia forces, entered
Iraq last week. On Tuesday, Turkish warplanes bombed PKK bases inside northern
Iraq in the second week of its operation against the rebels who seek self
rule in southeast Turkey. Ankara accuses both Iraq and Syria of providing
support for the rebels. Both countries deny the charge.
An Iraqi delegation statement in Istanbul said there was an "urgent
need for reaching a final agreement aiming at fair distribution of the
water resources" of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, on which Iraq
and Syria largely depend for water supply.
Under a temporary accord reached in 1987, Turkey agreed to allow the Euphrates
waters to flow at at least 500 cubic metres per second. Downstream Iraq
and Syria say this amount is inadequate for current needs. They say the
flow of water and its quality is threatened by Turkey's construction of
dams for a $32 billion power and irrigation project in its impoverished
southeast. Until a permanent water-sharing accord is reached, financing
for Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) "constitutes a clear
violation of international law," the Iraqi statement said.
Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel, called the "King of Dams"
for his support of the GAP project, launched the Istanbul conference titled
"World Water: Financing for the Future."
REUTER
Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The following news report
may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Reuters Ltd.
ISTANBUL,
Oct 1 (Reuter) - Turkish officials are in talks with Switzerland's Sulzer
AG and UBS on a dam project in southeast Turkey worth more than $1 billion,
the head of the country's State Hydraulic Works (DSI) said on Wednesday.
"The dam is being negotiated by Sulzer, and the Union Bank of Switzerland
is financing it," DSI director general Dogan Altinbilek told reporters
at a water conference in Istanbul.
He said Turkey was seeking full financing for a project which he estimated
to be worth more than $1 billion. A Turkish partner was to be announced
shortly for the consortium, which was still in the process of being formed.
Negotiations on the scheme to build a dam and 1,200 MW (Megawatt) hydroelectric
power plant in Ilisu would be completed in the first half of 1998, Altinbilek
said. The Ilisu dam, to be the largest on the Tigris river, forms part
of a $32 billion energy and irrigation project centred on the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in Turkey's impoverished southeast region.
The Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) consists of a planned network of 22
dams and 19 power plants, with a planned capacity of 7,476 MW (Megawatts).
Forty percent of the investment has so far been realised, mostly through
domestic financing along with the support of international financial institutions.
Iraq says Turkey threatens flow of shared waters [HOME] [News] [TOP]
Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The following news report
may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Reuters Ltd.
By Hassan Hafidh
BAGHDAD, Oct 1 (Reuter) - Iraq accused upstream neighbour Turkey on Wednesday
of threatening the flow of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers by building
dams and urged Ankara to reach a water-sharing accord. "Turkey monopolises
the flow of waters of the Tigris and Euphrates as dictated by its own interest
at the expense of Iraq and Syria's interest," the ruling Baath party
newspaper al-Thawra said.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers originate in Turkey. The Euphrates winds
through Syria before entering Iraq. The Tigris passes through Iraq. "The
country where these rivers rise should not monopolise waters of such international
rivers the way it likes," the paper said in an article written by
Mohammed al-Douri, an Iraqi university professor. Al-Thawra said Iraq's
concerns on the waters of the two rivers were raised by an Iraqi delegation
currently in Ankara attending an international conference on waters opened
by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on Tuesday.
"The Iraqi delegation has conducted talks with participating delegates
explaining Iraq's point of view on Turkish projects on the Euphrates and
Tigris," the paper said. Iraq protests have grown since last year
when Turkey announced a plan worth $1.62 billion for its fourth dam on
the Euphrates to produce power and irrigation for a large chunk of southeastern
Turkey. Syria and Iraq say the current flow of water from Turkey is not
enough. Both countries depend largely on the waters of the Euphrates and
Tigris for drinking, irrigation and electricity generation.
The paper stressed that dialogue between the three countries should continue
and a comprehensive agreement should be reached. "If they cannot reach
a logical and just solution they should resort to other means which are
known internationally," the paper said, adding the Arab League should
play a role on this.
Baghdad is also at loggerheads with Turkey over several cross-border operations
by Turkish troops in northern Iraq. About 15,000 Turkish troops, supported
by Kurdish militia forces, entered Iraq last week in a campaign against
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas who operate from the region in
their fight for self-rule in southeast Turkey.
Iraq, Turkey and Syria have held several meetings in the past but failed
to reach an agreement on water-sharing. Ankara and Damascus signed a provisional
agreement in 1987 under which Turkey allows the flow of 500 cubic metres
per second to Syria. The Syrian government has called for a permanent accord.
Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The following news report
may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Reuters Ltd. (Combines water projects in southeast,
Cyprus, Istanbul)
By Daren Butler
ISTANBUL, Oct 1 (Reuter) - Turkey is planning a series of water projects
stretching from Istanbul to its impoverished southeast in a bid to meet
growing water and energy demands, a leading water sector official said
on Wednesday. Speaking at a water conference in Istanbul, the head of the
country's State Hydraulic Works (DSI) unveiled details of a dam project
worth more than $1 billion near Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria.
Plans for a pipeline to carry water to Istanbul and a project to ship water
from Turkey's southern shores to northern Cyprus were also in the offing,
DSI director general Dogan Altinbilek told reporters during a break at
the conference. Turkish officials are currently in talks with Switzerland's
Sulzer AG and Union Bank of Switzerland on developing the dam project in
southeast Turkey.
"The dam is being negotiated by Sulzer, and the Union Bank of Switzerland
is financing it," Altinbilek said. He said Turkey was seeking full
financing for the project. A Turkish partner was to be announced shortly
for the consortium, which was still in the process of being formed. Negotiations
on the scheme, to build a dam and 1,200 MW (Megawatt) hydroelectric power
plant in Ilisu, would be completed in the first half of 1998, he said.
The Ilisu dam, which would be the largest on the Tigris river, forms part
of a $32 billion energy and irrigation project centred on the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in southeast Turkey.
The Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) consists of a planned network of 22
dams and 19 power plants, with a capacity of 7,476 MW (Megawatts). It was
intended to reduce Turkey's growing energy deficit and boost a region suffering
from a violent struggle between Kurdish rebels and the armed forces. The
huge project has upset downstream neighbours Iraq and Syria, which fear
that Turkey would be able to turn off their water supplies in times of
strife.
"Turkey monopolises the flow of waters of the Tigris and Euphrates
as dictated by its own interest, at the expense of Iraq and Syria's interest,"
Iraq's ruling Baath party newspaper al-Thawra said on Wednesday. "The
country where these rivers rise should not monopolise waters of such international
rivers the way it likes," it said. Al-Thawra said Iraq's concerns
were raised by an Iraqi delegation at the conference.
Forty percent of Turkey's GAP investment has so far been realised, mostly
through domestic financing along with the support of international financial
institutions. The DSI has also laid plans for a $900 million pipeline to
carry water from a stream in northwest Turkey to Istanbul, Altinbilek said.
"Tenders connected with the major Melen project will begin to be issued
at the start of 1998," he told Reuters. Seven tenders will be issued
by the middle of next year for the $911 million project, under which a
3.5-metre (11.5 feet) diameter pipe will be built to carry water 140 km
(87 miles) from the Melen stream westward to Istanbul.
The water will be pumped to a storage dam near Istanbul and two further
pipes will connect it to the water system in the city, which faces rising
pressure on its water supplies. Water supply problems are also increasing
in the breakaway state of northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by
Ankara. Two agreements are to be signed by next week setting out Turkey's
plan to ship drinking water to Cyprus from Manavgat in southern Anatolia,
Altinbilek said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern third
of the island in response to a short-lived coup in Nicosia engineered by
the military junta then ruling Greece. One of the two accords would empower
the DSI to carry out the project and a second agreement would be between
the Turkish Cypriot state and a water transportation company. The plan
involves using a balloon-type tanker, pulled by tugs, to carry water across
the Mediterranean Sea for storage in tanks in Turkish Cyprus, which has
suffered droughts in recent years.
Plans to send water to Israel or Libya have been frustrated, but other
similar projects were possible in the future, the official said.
REUTER