Turkey agreed to increase Iraq’s water share to 500 cms – VP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Thursday that Turkey agreed to increase Iraq’s water quota to 500 cubic meters per second from 290-390 cms during the past few days. The vice president has called for further increases to reach 750 cms in the near future so as to address the problem of water scarcity in Iraq, particularly in the southern provinces,” Hashemi was quoted by a release from his office as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The statements followed Hashemi’s meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Prime Minister Erdogan has made a phone call in my presence with the Turkish minister of energy to discuss ways to increase Iraq’s water quota,” Hashemi said. AmR (P) 1