Posted on 08/06/2002 7:21:33 PM PDT by a_Turk
JERUSALEM - Israel agreed Tuesday to buy 50 million cubic meters (1.75 billion cubic feet) of water from Turkey every year for the next 20 years to try to solve its water shortage and ensure the success of an arms deal, Israeli officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ( news - web sites) and Turkey's Energy Minister Zeki Cakan reached the deal at a meeting in Jerusalem. The final price hasn't been reached, but a joint committee was set up "to discuss and finalize the issue of water transportation from Turkey to Israel," said a joint statement released after the talks.
Transporting the water and payment have been sticking points in the negotiations, said Raanan Gissin, an official in Sharon's office. An arms deal with Turkey, in which it agreed to buy Israeli tanks and air force technology, was also an issue, he added.
Israel's relationship with the large Islamic country is important to the Jewish state, especially amid 22 months of fighting with the Palestinians, which has caused tension in the Middle East and strained Israel's ties with Egypt and Jordan, with which it has signed peace treaties.
In the barren Middle East, water is a strategic issue as well as one of survival. Turkey is one of the few countries in the area with water reserves and sales of the precious commodity could boost its position as a regional power and bring in tens of millions of dollars in badly needed hard currency.
Turkey tied the arms deal to the water agreement, Gissin said, but denied media reports that it had threatened to cancel the military treaty if Israel did not go through with its promise to purchase water. He refused to detail the size of the arms deal.
Israel and Turkey have a "very large, complex strategic and commercial relationship" so both were interested in reaching an agreement, Gissin said. "Turkey is an important part of our overall regional policy," he added.
In the end, Israel agreed to buy water at a higher price than it would have cost to desalinate, Gissin said, adding that Israel will not have desalination facilities for at least another five years.
"There's costs and benefits on both sides of this. Water, additional water, will never hurt Israel because we are at a very grave shortage," Gissin said. "Water is like money in the bank. You can use it in the future."
"Islamic civilization" is an oxymoron. Turkey, a valued ally in the region for us and Israel, uses military force to keep the evil djinn of Islam in its bottle and out of public life. Their public ideology of "ataturkism" is emphatically secular and "progressive" in some of the best senses of the word. Ladies were voting in Turkey many years before they could vote in most European countries, e.g.
No you don't seem to understand. I have been told repeatedly here on FR that Islam is a murderous, hateful religion...That's a result of ignorance coupled with hysteria. Understandable, but unfortunate.
that all Muslims teach their children to kill Jews...that all Muslims seek the end of Israel, etc.That's inaccurate, as Islam is for Israel's right to exist, as written in passages in the Koran.
Do you think they will build a pipeline?Syria is in the way. It'll probably be tankers for now.
I wonder how the Arab states will react to the symbolism of this.By kissing our collective asses?
Ahh. The "colloquial nexus" of a living language is a moving target. My Turkish friend Can translates the verb "puts out" and says it applies to dogs barking. Apparently it's picked up a whole nimbus of corrollary meanings!
I appreciate the quick language lesson. (of course, "kervan" is borrowed from Persian, hence the vowel dis-harmony!)
Who's "we". Are there other voices and personalities running aroung in your little brain?
The Mexicans don't seem to be having a problem with us. The Turks could take a lesson from them ;-)
In 500 years, ever since the Sultan invited the Jews expelled from Spain by Isabella to settle in his land, Jews has never experienced any persecution in Turkey. Turkey has very friendly relationship with Israel, and it is one of the most favorite destinations for Israeli tourists.
In sum, you must be thinking of the Arab World, not Turkey, when you are puzzled by this agreement on the supply of water.
Well at least you were honest and truthful about something. I guess that's why you have spent some much time and band width on this thread giving us the benefit of your knowledge about Turkey and the water deal with Israel...sharing your thoughts about something you know nothing about. LOL. Maybe if you would loosen up that yarmulke and quit being soo Jewoosh (i.e. we're the chosen ones)you would understand that not all Muslims are terrorists. You see, I don't believe that all Jews are spys against my country and on the Isreali payroll (cf. Jonathan Pollard) and I don't believe that all Israeli Americans want to pick up weapons and slaughter praying Muslims (cf. "Dr." Baruch Goldstein). As for my father, I knew him well, and he was a man who would find you as contemptible as I do. Having fought through four years of WW II for this country, he always thought that those with dual loyalties to the U.S. and another country were not worthy of his respect. Now run home to mommy and tell her how good you're spelling here on FR (and you cleaned your room!). Then you can go to the "Free Jonathan Pollard" rally.
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