US embassy cable - 05ANKARA3093

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 003093 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ECIN, IZ, TU, Iraq 
SUBJECT: TESTY TURKISH-IRAQI WATER TALKS 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 2298 
 
Sensitive but Unclassfied. Please protect sources. 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary.  Turkish officials agreed with Iraqi 
Water Minister Rashid to continue technical water discussions 
in July, but the Turks have yet to be convinced about Iraq's 
request for additional water from the Euphrates.  In a testy 
meeting, the two sides disagreed on basic issue of whether or 
not the Tigris and Euphrates were a single river system and 
the potential role of the United Nations in facilitating 
bilateral discussions.  The meetings were positive in that 
discussions will continue, but they point to the need for a 
long-term process of mutual confidence building at the 
technical level, which the U.S. could help support by finding 
a way to include Turks in USG training programs for Iraqi 
water engineers.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  According to Midhat Rende, MFA DDG for water and 
energy issues and the Turkish government's senior authority 
on transboundry water issues, May 21 meetings between Iraqi 
Water Minister Rashid and his Turkish counterparts were testy 
and uncomfortable.  Rende said the two countries would 
continue talking, but that the tenseness of the meeting 
pointed to the need for the "confidence building" measures at 
the technical level for which Turkey has long called. 
 
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No Politicians, Please 
---------------------- 
 
3.  (SBU)  The initial meeting was held in the office of 
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler.  Guler, 
who had two other Iraqi ministers in the office at the same 
time discussing electricity and oil issues, asked Rashid, 
Rende and State Waterworks Authority (Turkish acronym DSI) 
Director Veysel Eroglu to discuss the water issue "in a 
corner."  According to Rende, Rashid, who was unaccompanied 
by technical or other staff, set the tone for the meeting by 
objecting to Rende's presence, saying that he did not want to 
talk to "politicians."  Rende objected that he was a diplomat 
responsible for transboundary water issues, but the meeting 
went downhill from there. 
 
4.  (SBU)  On top of Rashid's list was a request that Turkey 
release additional water from the Euphrates to be used for 
Iraqi hydropower generation.  However, instead of focusing on 
the power issue, Rashid cited what Rende called "unverifiable 
data" showing a decline in Euphrates flows over the past 30 
years.  Rende objected that Turkey took relatively little 
Euphrates water for domestic irrigation and was in fact 
releasing considerably more than the 500 cm/sec called for in 
its agreement with Syria.  Similarly, Rashid said that Turkey 
was responsible for lower flows in the Tigris, leading Rende 
to point out that Turkey has no large dams on that river. 
Even if there really had been a trend decline in flows to 
Iraq, this could not be attributed, Rende said, to decisions 
made by Turkey.  Rende said that he and Eroglu were not in a 
position to agree to Rashid's request, although it may be 
discussed in more detail in a technical meeting planned for 
July (see below). 
 
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Debate over River Basins 
------------------------ 
 
5.  (SBU)  Rende said that Rashid sounded a false note to his 
Turkish interlocutors by insisting on speaking about the 
Tigris and Euphrates as two separate river systems, in 
contrast to the Turkish (and, Rende says, the international) 
view that they form a single river basin, in that, among 
other things, they flow together into the Gulf.  This led to 
a sterile discussion of whether the Shatt al-Arab was a 
"river" or a "sea."  Asked by ECON/C what he thought was 
behind the Iraqi position, Rende said it was another 
indication of what he sees as the "what's mine is mine" 
mentality that prevails in Iraq (i.e., Iraq doesn't want to 
include Tigris waters in a calculation of water sharing among 
Iraq, Turkey and Syria).  Rende said that he is often obliged 
to argue with Turks who think about water in "what's mine is 
mine" terms.  Both countries need to get beyond this, as was 
the trend in international water issues in general.  Rende 
pointed to the progress being made by the countries that 
share the Nile in developing agreements that share water on 
the basis of need. 
 
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Outside Facilitators 
-------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  Rende also said that Rashid had proposed the 
United Nations as a "facilitator" of water discussions 
between Iraq and Turkey.  He said the minister was very 
annoyed when Rende replied that he thought Turkey would "not 
be too keen" on this idea as he was unaware of any river 
basin in the world where the UN was making a real 
contribution. 
 
7.  (SBU)  Rende said U.S. policy on the Tigris-Euphrates was 
not clear.  However, he told ECON/C he thought there could be 
a role for the United States as a "neutral" facilitator of 
such discussions.  Understanding that USG agencies were 
working closely with Rashid and his colleagues to develop 
Iraq's water infrastructure, he cautioned that the U.S. 
should not "take sides" on transboundary issues.  Indeed the 
United States could help, he thought, foster cooperation. 
For example, he had heard that the Corps of Engineers is 
sponsoring training for Iraqi technicians in river modeling 
in the United States.  The techniques being taught were not, 
he thought, used in Turkey.  It could be helpful to invite 
Turkish water engineers to attend such training as a way to 
develop a common way of thinking and common points of 
reference for Turks and Iraqis. 
 
---------------------- 
July Technical Meeting 
---------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU)  Rende confirmed that Rashid and DSI Director 
Eroglu met separately later that evening without Rende.  He 
said they agreed at that time to hold a bilateral technical 
meeting in July.  Rende reiterated that the DSI was not 
empowered to make decisions on behalf of the GOT on issues 
like Rashid's request for additional Euphrates water.  The 
MFA had the lead on coordinating government positions on such 
issues.  Furthermore, Rende hoped that meetings at lower 
levels would allow for detailed, give and take discussions 
that are not possible at the ministerial level. 
 
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Comment 
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9.  (SBU)  The meeting was not all negative.  Rende agreed 
that it was useful as a first step: "At least we are 
talking."  In addition to the agreement to meet again in 
July, Rende was able to offer Turkish public and private 
sector assistance in the development of Iraq's domestic water 
infrastructure.  In post's opinion, Rende was correct in 
highlighting the political nature of the issues involved, as 
well as the need for technical discussions to develop 
confidence and support political decision-making.  Rashid 
will be disappointed if he is thinking that there is a quick 
and easy way to leapfrog to high-level agreements.  Post 
supports Rende's suggestion that we seek to find a role for 
Turkish observers or participants in USG training being 
provided to Iraqi engineers. 
EDELMAN