Neighboring countries deprive Iraq of water – source

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Some neighboring countries are depriving Iraq of water to put political pressures on it and to force it to abandon its rights, the Iraqi environment minister said on Saturday. Narmeen Othman warned those States while visiting the holy city of Karbala that the water crisis in Iraq and its subsequent effects will embrace them too. “The water crisis in Iraq has affected the environment as well as agriculture in Iraq,” Othman told the press. “Some neighboring countries want Iraq to give up its rights,” Othman said. Othman pointed out that an Iraqi delegation will visit Iran in early Sept. 2009 to discuss this issue. According to Othman, “some countries’ claims that they resolved the water problem with Iraq are only for media consumption.” MH (P)/SR 1