Call for just sharing to Euphrates river water

The Syrian former minister of irrigation Taha al-Atrash has called for amending the provisional water agreement signed with Turkey on the partition of the Euphrates waters so as Turkey will get one third, and each of Syria and Iraq the remaining part.

The former minister who was talking in a seminar about water in the Middle East held by Zayed center for coordination and follow up which works under the umbrella of the Arab League in Abu Dhabi and concluded on Tuesday said that Syria should get, according to the new agreement some 83.8 billion cubic meters instead of 62.6 billion cubic meters annually of the water of the river which springs from Turkey and passes through Syria and Iraq.

Al-Atrash said that should guarantee preserving the Syrian- Iraqi agreement signed in 1989.

He explained that the new agreement should replace the provisional protocol signed in 1987. It states that Turkey guarantee the flow of 500 cubic meters of waters per second at the Syrian- Turkish borders and this will be until the giant Ataturk dam -- installed by Turkey on the Euphrates river -- is filled.