The headquarters of the Iraqi Jurists Union launched a broad campaign to save the Tigris River and the marshes of Iraq, which represent the backbone of life in most parts of Iraq. The campaign, which carried the slogan OUR SILENCE IS WASTING OUR RIGHTS, aims to save the Tigris River from the Ilisu  dam that is under construction by the Turkish Republic about sixty kilometres from the Iraqi – Turkish border .

The head of the Iraqi Union of Jurists, Ali Al-Shammari said: “The construction of the Turkish Ilisu dam on the Tigris River will give Turkey almost entire control  on the resources of Iraq’s water, and operation of the dam would lead to a decline in Iraq’s share of water from the Tigris River to fifty percent in addition to the low quality of the water that will reach Iraq because of sediment and harmful salts.

Shammari called Iraqi media to participate in the campaign to save the Tigris River from the construction of Ilisu dam and demanded the Iraqi government to take its real role of defending Iraq’s water and economic interests  through the activation of international agreements with its neighbour Turkey which will organize the water policy between the two countries. Shammari also demanded the Iraqi government to resort to the International Court of Justice or the UN Security Council to prevent Turkey from overtaking  Iraq’s water rights.

Ahmed al – Jubouri, Vice-President of the  Iraqi Jurists Union said that the aim of the establishment of the dam is to deprive Iraq from its share of water, calling the Iraqi government and parliament to take quick action to keep Iraq’s water share.

The lawyer Ahmed Al-Sultani said: “Iraq is living under Kuwaiti, Iranian and Turkish excesses for Iraqi oil, water and territory, and the Iraqi officials should take responsibility to stop these abuses by different mechanisms.”

The head of the Diyala branch of the Jurists Union Hussein Al -Tai called on Iraqi officials to take bold steps to protect the Tigris River because the construction of the dam will affect all Iraqi interests.

Translated by ICSSI Editor from Al Iraqiyoun: http://www.iraqyoon.net/news_details.php?details=5129