Al-Zameli: Iraq might ban commercial exchange with Iran and Turkey

Shafaq News/ Iraq may resort to banning commercial exchange with Turkey and Iran if the latter states continue to undermine the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, parliament's first deputy speaker Hakem al-Zameli said on Thursday.

"If Turkey and Iran continue to cut water from Iraq, we, in the Iraqi parliament, might be prompted to enact a bill that criminalizes commercial and economic exchange with them in response," al-Zameli told reporters in a press conference at the Ministry of Water Resources headquarters in Baghdad.

Al-Zameli confirmed that Iran has completely cut the afferent streams to Iraq and altered the flow of four rivers into the Iranian territory.

Turkish and Iranian exports to Iraq amount to 20 and 16 billion dollars, respectively, while Iraq's exports to them yield nearly nothing, al-Zameli said defending the proposal.

"There is no deterrence. They do not abide by the treaties. They might cut the water supply completely due to drought," he continued, "we might legislate a bill on criminalizing commercial exchange with them as we did with Israel."

"Turkey refused to negotiate. Iran did the same and ignored Iraq," the lawmaker added.

Al-Zameli took an aim at the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs that settles for shy or no protest notes to Turkey and the International community, and lacks official representation in Turkey.

"We will have a confrontation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the parliament hall," he concluded.