Israel signs water deal with Turkey

[Sean Noonan <snnoonan@xxxxxxx>]

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Israel signs water deal with Turkey   
Friday 03 October 2003, 22:49 Makka Time, 19:49 GMT   
  
Israeli officials would not disclose the value of the deal
  
In its first ever water import deal, Israel has agreed to buy 15 million
cubic metres of water annually from Turkey for 20 years.  But they did
not disclose how much they would be paying.
  
Turkey is Israel's closest Muslim ally and the two countries have
military cooperation agreements. They have been discussing a deal on
water sales for a long time and reached a tentative accord last year,
but then failed to agree on a final price.
  
"I hope we can begin (importing the water) in the very near future,"
Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky told reporters
on the sidelines of an international economic conference organised by
the Istanbul chamber of commerce.
  
'Best price'
  
Asked how much the deal, due to be signed in the next few days, was
worth, he said: "(We have) the best possible price."
  
Last October, Israel agreed to buy 60 million cubic metres a year from
desalination plants at 55-56 cents per cubic metre.
  
Paritzky added the two countries have still to decide how to transport
the water, which will come from the Manavgat River in southern
Turkey. The options include tankers and a possible pipeline across the
eastern Mediterranean.
  
Paritzky said this might not be limited to transporting water, when
asked about the pipeline itself
  
â??We are thinking seriously about this. Along with water, we could
also buy first natural gas, then electricity," he said.
  
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EB1144C7-06A3-4334-B11E-761A84FB0E4B.htm



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