Turkey delays dam plans, granting Iraq brief reprieve
Ankara puts off filling its Ilisu Dam for the second time to temporarily ease Iraqis' fear that their water shortage will worsen.
Turkey has stopped filling its controversial Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River and agreed not to resume the process until July 1, but Iraqis' fears for the river's future persist.
The political heat and popular frenzy against Turkey are ongoing in Iraq, with some Iraqis calling for Turkey to cancel the project. That's not likely, as the $2 billion undertaking has been in the works for 20 years. The dam is expected to begin generating electricity next year.
Turkey began filling the dam in early June, but announced June 7 it would hold off until July to give Iraq more time to deal with its water crisis. Turkey had already delayed filling the dam for three months. Iraqi parliament member Abdul Hussein al-Ezerjawi on June 10 called the filling process a "fait accompli,” as his government currently has no means of blocking the project.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the timing is a "political matter” through which the Turkish government hopes to win the votes of Turkish farmers in the June 24 presidential election. Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Fatih Yildiz denied any such connection.
