Syria, Turkey, Iraq sign ministerial meeting minutes of cooperation to overcome Drought

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Syria, Turkey and Iraq signed a ministerial meeting minutes of cooperation in the field of water resources and possible solutions to combat drought and water shortage afflicting the region, Syrian news agency (SANA) reported. The minutes, which was signed Thursday in Ankara, demonstrated the three parties’ agreement on studying the situation of water measurement stations in the three countries, their maintenance, and the establishment of new ones if necessary as well as forming a joint technical team to work on solving common technical issues in addition to field studies to be submitted and approved upon before the end of 2009. Exchanging information on water and climate including seasonal changes, establishing joint meteorological and hydraulic database and forming a team of experts for this purpose were among the minutes’ terms. “The ministers agreed on organizing a training course on remote sensing in the fields of water, monitoring climate changes, weather conditions and the level of Euphrates and Tigris water in addition to evaluating the impact of drought and climate changes on water resources,” SANA said. The minutes was signed by Syrian Minister of Irrigation, Nader al-buni, Turkish Environment and Forestry Minister Feysel Eruglo and Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Jamal Rasheed. SH (S) 1