Parliamentarian urges protests in front of Turkish, Iranian embassies

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A lawmaker in the parliament’s water & marshes committee called on the Iraqis to take to the streets and stage a demonstration in front of the Iranian and Turkish embassies to press the two countries’ governments to solve the water problem in Iraq. “The water level in the rivers Tigris and Euphrates have went down by 50 percent compared to the levels before the water crisis in Iraq, which had a negative impact on the Iraqi economy in which the agricultural sector is a key feature,” Jamal al-Bateekh told IraqiNews.com news agency. Bateekh, who leads the Iraqi National List (INL) bloc, said the parliament, during Saturday’s session, has called for adding a para guaranteeing Iraq’s water quota as a precondition to sign the partnership agreement between Iraq and Turkey. “This should be one of the most effective means to press the Turkish government,” he added. Most of the waters of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries is flowing from Turkey and Iran. AmR (P) 1