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ILISU BARAJINI DURDURALIM - HASANKEYF VE DİCLE VADİSİNİ KURTARALIM! |
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Hasankeyfi Yaşatma Girişiminin Internet sitesine hoşgeldiniz... |
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Almanya, Avusturya ve Isviçre Hükümetlerine Açik Mektup (02.12.200) |
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Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive Diyarbakir/Turkey Fax: 0090-412 226 3065 http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.com email: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
To 1: Mrs. Heidi Wieczorek-Zeul Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development Federal Republic of Germany
Mr. Michael Glos Ministry of Economy and Technology Federal Republic of Germany
Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier Ministry of Foreign Affairs Federal Republic of Germany
Mr. Peter Steinbrück Ministry of Finance Federal Republic of Germany
To 2: Mr. Werner Faymann Federal Chancellor of Austria
Mr. Josef Pröll Minister for Finance of Austria
To 3: Mrs. Doris Leuthard Mrs. Micheline Calmy-Rey Federal Councellors of Switzerland
Copy to: Mr. Dr. Hans-Joachim Henckel Chairman of Interministerial Committee for Export Credit Guarantees / Germany
Mr. Dr. Hans Janus, Director of Euler Hermes Loan Insurance / Germany
Mr. Dr. Rudolf Scholten Österreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB) / Austria
Mr. Christoph Sievers SERV Swiss Export Risk Insurance Switzerland
02.12.2008 Ilisu Dam project: Your letter from the 8th October 2008 and the continuing breach of the TORs by Turkey Immediate pullout is necessary!
Dear Ministers Mr. Glos, Mrs. Wieczorek-Zeul, Mr. Steinmeier and Mr. Steinbrück,
Dear Chancellor Mr. Werner Faymann and Finance Minister Mr. Josef Pröll,
Dear Federal Councellors Mrs. Doris Leuthard and Mrs. Micheline Calmy-Rey,
We have recognized with happiness your letter to the Turkish Government sent on the 8th October 2008. In that letter you announce that you will withdraw from the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Powerplant Project if Turkey does not shows clear efforts to fulfill the Terms of Reference (TOR) within 60 days. In our opinion since the March 2007, when you approved the export credit guarantee, Turkey has continuisly violated the TORs as it di in the last days again. So we demand from you to withdraw from the Ilisu project now!
We think that your letter is a clear confirmation for our concerns on the Ilisu Project which we explained to you several times since 2006. As you you can remember we said that the Ilisu Project can not be brought to an acceptable level with any improvements because this project is principally a wrong and destructive one. Even the TORs with 153 conditions have not this capacity. We know that through the TORs in the area of resettlement are foreseen some positive improvements, but nevertheless ten thousands of people will be impoverished gravely, our very rich cultural and ecological heritage will be lost and no essential regional development will be created.
As the reports of the Committee of Experts (CoE) have stated too, the Turkish government and the State Water Works (DSI) have not the capacity to implement the Ilisu Project according to the TORs or any international standards. There is no sensitiveness and understanding by DSI for the concerns of the affected people; the DSI acts as a big burocratic and cold state body like they did it with other projects. But the more important aspect is that the DSI and Turkish Government have not a real interest to implement the Ilisu Project according to better conditions and the TORs. As the experience of the last one and half year showed, it is for us obvious that the Turkish Government has accepted the TORs only to get the export credit guarantee from you. It hoped and hopes that after a while the public interest for the Ilisu Project will decrease, so that they can implement the Project as they are used to. Without campaigns and public interest there would not be any pressure on you to insist on the fulfillment of the TORs.
So lets consider only the last weeks and months in order to understand our argumentation. We tried several times to go the Ilisu and Karabayir villages and to speak to them. The last time we tried it on the 15th November 2008. But every time it was denied to have access to that area. Here want to ask you how do you can claim (as Euler Hermes did it in its letter on the 25th November 2008) that DSI has showed improvements in the fulfillment/implementation of the TORs if we represanting the major opinion of affected people can not speak to people in the construction any more? But a very crucial developments is that Turkey has started with construction directly at the in the Tigris River! In this spring there were already some construction works around the Ilisu village which you described as not a part of the dam construction. You said that these are preperatory works. Preperatory works are a precondition for the main contruction, so it is a part of the whole construction. How do you describe the newest works at the River? Have a look to the pictures in the attachment. This is a clear breach of the TORs which you can not oversee. Now you have the right to withdraw from the project without to breach any agreement. If you feel any responsability and conscience you have to take this step!
Another example: The DSI says to the inhabitants of the Ilisu village and Hasankeyf city that they will be resettled to a new settlement, but they will have to pay for the new houses. The people understand from the meetings with DSI and TOKI (the public housing construction agency) that this amount will be significantly higher than the value which they will get for their existing houses. Just last week on the 26th November 2008 there was a meeting in Hasankeyf organized by DSI and TOKI to which only 55 people in the city of Hasankeyf attended. The people have left the meeting early after DSI did not give any answer about the prices of the new houses and the existing houses and whether a new bridge will be contructed or not. What kind of information is that if they can answer to such questions? But the main question in the resettlement of Hasankeyf is that almost nobody will go to the new site. So we will have a ghost town and in that way a city of 10.000 years will dissapear forever. Do you ever considered that? Euler Hermes writes in its letter from the 25th November 2008 that in Dargecit is an information office where are brochures. That is of course good, but it is not enough to offer some brochures to the affected people who can not understand really this. The reasons are that their mother tongue is Kurdish and the brochures are in Turkish, the most men can speak Turkish, but not on a good level (the older and middle aged women can not speak generally Turkish). So they do not really understand it. Rather here it is important to say that the people are not used to work with written materials. This kind of consultation is not appropriate. Furthermore our speaches with some affected people in Dargecit showed that the most of them do not know that there is an office. The new resettlement site for the villagers of Ilisu has to be choosen under involvement of all households und not through some or several older men and the village head (muhtar). So many households are excluded and this way can not be described as participative. But the new resettlement of the Ilisu village has not solved the questions how the people will have income after the resettlement. We do not see any area for agriculture. So the new site does not offer more compared to the proposed former one. This case shows that in the whole Ilisu/Tigris region is not enough approporiate land for the resettlement of the affected people. You have to consider that we live in an old cultural area where the suitable land is already completely cultivated. So land to land resettlement is not or scarcely possible.
The CoE has mentioned carefully in its reports that the planned resettlement of the 12 monuments in Hasankeyf will not be possible. We mentioned that in former letters several times, now it is more or less confirmed. Already other examples with planned moving of histircal monuments could not be done. However, this fact would be intensify the catastrophe in destroying cultural heritage. You should understand what importance the cultural heritage in the Tigris valley has for us people in our region. It is more than some archaeological/historical artefacts; in the past we have lost too much cultural heritage through dams (some examples: Hallan Çemi in Batman, Zeugma in Antep, Nevala Çori and Samsat in Adiyaman) and we are not ready to loose any more. In that framework Hasankeyf represents for million of people one important part of their identity. In order that you understand this isse we only want to ask you whether you would accept dam project which would flood the rocks of Loreley at the Rhein River? We are sure that not even a very economic hydropowerplant project could be constructed there. The subcommittee for cultural heritage (particularly Margaret van Ess) has stated recently that an archeological site in the Ilisu village has dissappeared because it disturbed the view of the military station. This behaviour shows the main character the approach of the turkish agencies to cultural heritage.
Furthermore the CoE mentions in its reports that the problems with the construction of waste water treatment plants in the bigger cities are still big. We do not suppose that the three big cities will have waste water treatment plants with all three stages (physical, biological and chemical) within 7 years. Would you insist that the impounding of the reservoir will be done only if all waste water treatment plants are constructed with all three stages? And what about the contamination of the planned reservoir through the irrigation. The TORs are not conconcing.
The reports of the committe of experts (CoE), released in 2008, have not been translated into Turkish or Kurdish. Thats why the organizations and the complete population in the Ilisu project affected region have not the opportunity to be informed what the CoE has determined. As many decisions of you are driven by these reports it is important for us to be at the same level. This is another point how participation and consultation do not work in the Ilisu project. So we conclude that you exclude us from the discussions.
Do not regard the Ilisu Project as a pilot project for Turkey in implementing infrastructure projects according to international standards. If you want to bring Turkey to the point to act in that way, choose another project. Ilisu is not suitable for that. And as you did it several times do not use the argument that things in Turkey change principally and in that framework you have to facilitate this change through this project. As you can follow from the press the poltical situation deteriotated in the last one year unfortunately. The positive atmosphere of the last years dissapeared for now. Furthermore it unacceptable to say to us that it is better to do this project with the Europeans than with others (like Chinese companies). We know what is good for us and which way we have to go. We expect from you to be in line with your criterias and values! If Chinese companies would come what we do no believe this because it would be a very complicated situation , this would be our problem for what we would not accuse you.
All this mentioned aspects shows the problematic dimension of the Ilisu Project which can not be solved with the TORs. The Ilisu project is in many ways the violation of our fundamental social and human rights. We will never accept it, our struggle will continue in any way. That means that you will be always confronted with us because you have the same responsability for all the planned destruction like the Turkish government.
Do not make a rotten compromise and extend the ultimatom for Turkey. This will bring you in always more complications. We demand from you to do what you have considered in your letter on the 8th October and to withdraw from the Ilisu Project now. You more than reasons for that. It is still not too late. We have still hope in a reasonable and intelligent decision by you.
Kind regards
Diren Özkan, Ipek Tasli and Ercan Ayboga On behalf of the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive (consisting of 72 organizations from the Ilisu dam affected region)
Members of the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive:
Local Agenda 21, Diyarbakir Local Agenda 21, Mardin Local Agenda 21, Batman Diyarbakir Immigrants Association for Social Cooperation and Culture (GÖÇ-DER) Batman Immigrants Association for Social Cooperation and Culture (GÖÇ-DER) Human Rights Association (IHD) Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage (ÇEKÜL) Diyarbakir Association for Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets Association of Archeology, Culture and Art, Diyarbakir Selis Women Consultation Association, Diyarbakir Dikasum Womens Problems Research and Implementation Center, Diyarbakir Epi-Dem Education and Psychological Consulting Center, Diyarbakir Bahar Culture Centre, Batman Eastern Scientific and Cultural Reserach Cooperative, Diyarbakir Mulburry Scientific and Cultural Reserach Cooperative, Diyarbakir Volunteers for Environment Association, Diyarbakir (ÇEV-GÖN) Volunteers for Hasankeyf Association Diyarbakır Democracy Platform (32 member organizations)
Batman Petroleum, Chemical, and Rubber Workers' Union (PETROL-İŞ) Union of General Laborers (Genel-Is), Batman Union of Education, Batman Tuhay Association, Batman Chamber of Pharmacists, Mus-Siirt-Batman Chamber of Turkish Doctors, Batman Union of Food Workers, Batman Union of Installations Laborers, Batman Association of Nomads, Batman Association of all local mayors in Batman Union of Health and Social Service Workers (SES) Union of Energy, Industry and Mining Public Laborers (ESM) Union of Food Workers, Diyarbakir
Chamber of Doctors, Diyarbakir Diyarbakır Bar Council Batman Bar Council Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Diyarbakır Chamber of Architects, Diyarbakir Chamber of Civil Engineers, Diyarbakir Chamber of Electric Engineers, Diyarbakir Chamber of Environmental Engineers, Diyarbakir Chamber of Geologists, Diyarbakir Chamber of Urban Planners, Diyarbakir Chamber of Mechanical Engineer, Diyarbakir Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, Diyarbakır Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Diyarbakır Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, Batman
Union of Southeastern Anatolia Region Municipalities (GABB) Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Batman Municipality Hasankeyf Municipality, Batman Dargecit Municipality, Mardin Bismil Municipality, Diyarbakır Kurtalan Municipality, Siirt Besiri Municipality, Batman Gercüs Municipality, Batman Kozluk Municipality, Batman Yenişehir Municipality, Diyarbakır Sur Municipality, Diyarbakir Kayapinar Municipality, Diyarbakir Baglar Municipality, Diyarbakir Sirnak Municipality Nusaybin Municipality, Mardin Kiziltepe Municipality, Mardin Surgücü Municipality, Mardin Yalim Municipality, Mardin Idil Municipality, Sirnak Ergani Municipality, Diyarbakir Silvan Municipality, Diyarbakir Viransehir Municipality, Urfa Varto Municipality, Mus Bulanik Municipality, Mus Malazgirt Municipality, Mus Rüstemgedik Municipality, Mus
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