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FightING ILISU DAM - SAVE HASANKEYF AND TIGRIS VALLEY |
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Welcome to the Homepage of the „Initative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive“ |
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SYMPOSIUM DECLARATION |
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Concluding Declaration: Observations and Recommendations, Diyarbakır, 18-19 February 2006 Construction of the Ilisu Dam, which had been stopped once, will be given an official start again in March 2006. This has become publicly known through a series of information meetings held by the State Waterworks Administration (DSI)’s 10th Regional Directorate and the Ilisu Consortium’s Turkey representative Nurol Construction and Trading Co. Inc. in Diyarbakır and Batman in December 2005, and confirmed by a series of official statements to the media afterwards. The objectives of the symposium organised by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive in Diyarbakır on 18-19 February 2006 were: * To present a scientific and social position against a developmental planning approach that does not give due consideration to the cultural and historical heritage of thousands of years in Hasankeyf Basin; * To demonstrate that it is not only necessary but also possible to save not only Hasankeyf but also other ancient settlements in Turkey facing similar threats on the basis of alternative projects which are elaborated from a developmental perspective that is centred on the human, natural, historical and cultural heritage; and * To contribute to the emergence of a future oriented and sustainable strategy for a final solution that will keep Hasankeyf ancient city from drowning under the water. The symposium was organised in five sessions on four main subjects: The Heritage of Hasankeyf from National and International Perspectives (two sessions); Hasankeyf and Ilisu Dam in the Context of Environment, Men and Energy; Ilisu Dam and Affected Communities; and Open Forum: Hasankeyf, Ilisu Project and Ideas for a Solution. The following observations and recommendations were formulated on the basis of the presentations and comments by the participants:
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