pe For sale: Turkish plans to supply the re gion withwater in a "peace pipeline' could "T di: be thwarted by Syria Sipa stf ference if Israel was not invited. of Recently, the diplomatic tangle tight asl ened: In September, the Syrians began threatening toboycott the event ifIsrael came, and to take other Arab partici pants with them. To back up its threats, Damascus held talks with Yemen, Egypt, Sudan and various Gulf states. "It was clear from the beginning, with all the lobbying and outside pressures, that the summit would not work out," saysone Turkish diplomat. In fact, there has been mounting con cernin the past few months that wrang-^ ling over who would attend the water te: conferencecould actually endanger the til larger prospects for regional peace. In w particular, itwas feared by all the parties w. involved that American and Turkish lob NOT IN THE PIPELINE bying onIsrael's behalf could anger some Arab states enough to jeopardize the up coming Middle East peace conference. I Sources in Cairo note that the decision a Ismet G. Imset / Ankara to postpone the water parley until the 1 spring was made following Egyptian •* How Syria sabotaged a regional water resources parley pressure. Egypt's deputy prime minister '•st administration requested the postpone for foreign affairs, Butrus Ghali, recently • Plans for an international conference on X ment, following Arab rejection ofits ap visited the United States, where he ex managing the Middle East's limited wa pressed hiscountry's view that every 1 ter resources have been blocked, due to peal for Israel be allowed to attend. thing should bedone —including drop Arab opposition to Israel taking part. The initiative had aimed at finding a ping the water parley —to smooth the 1 The gathering was scheduled for No peaceful, lasting solution to the Middle East water shortage by bringing to path toMiddle East peace talks. vember 3-9 in Istanbul with the partici gether all the states concerned. But Tur Both Arab and Israeli diplomats in pation of 22 Middle East and North Afri key had balked from the outset atletting Ankara have agreed that under the cir can states.The decision to postpone the cumstances it was wiser to postpone the t meeting until at least next spring was Israel attend, citing anticipated objec tions by Syria and other Arab states. Je conference. made by its sponsor, a Washington- Most Arab states believe the water is based non-profit organization called the rusalem, in turn, pressed the United sue cannot be solved until thejvider Global Water Summit Initiative. The U.S. States tosay itwould not attend the con-

when the idea was conceived back in meeting was necessary: "We've been The law won 1989, she recalled. The focus was "re working on this for three years," she source diplomacy" — to help Middle says, "and 1personally don't think that East governments solve their water the political negotiations will usefully problems by encouraging investment in solve the water situation." "I fought the law and the law won," Starr also dismisses the notion that sighs Joyce Starr, chairwoman of the new waysof managing their resources. If ever an event was designed to get Turkey was going touse the Istanbul Global Water Summit Initiative and conference to push its own "peace the moving force behind theIstanbul around the political barriers, she added, pipeline" proposal for selling water to this was it. water conference. She was referring to According toStarr, 13 ofthe22 Middle the rest of the Middle East. "It wasn't the fact that the conference had been even on the agenda," she says, noting postponed at the insistence of the Eastern and North African countries in vited to the summit had officially ac that Ankara had other things to gain. United States administration. cepted before it was called off, though Indeed, selling water may notbe so In a telephone interview from wise. There is a "tremendous misun Washington, Starr expressed her dis she refuses to identify them. derstanding" abroad that Turkey itself appointment that the iron rules of Washington, she acknowledges, was has plenty of water, Starr asserts, add Middle East politics had blocked re concerned that tensions generated by the Istanbul conference could ruin ef ing that the country will have serious gional progress. problems of its own by the end of the Turkish PresidentTurgutOzal had forts to convene peace talks thisfall, in which water issues will in any case be decade. been "kind enough and visjonary Isabel Kershner enough" to agree to host the event discussed. ButStarr insists the Istanbul

42 THE JERUSALEM REPORT OCTOBER 17, 1991

.„y»'*W- -•>'•• >. !»• ^MIDDLE EAST peace process is further along the road. in Kuwait for three or four decades are "visitor" in the West Bank town of Beit "There cannot be any water project or coming home without a penny." Sahur, who for obvious reasons asked discussions unless there is peace and Palestinian and Jordanian sources say not to be identified. "I worked in Kuwait stability in the region," said a diplomat Kuwait has expelled nearly three- for 26 years as a construction contractor, of a leading Arab government, who quarters of the country's approximately and I've lost everything. I have no one in asked not to be identified. 400,000 Palestinians over the past six Jordan or the other Arab countries. Now And even before it was officially an months in retaliation for the PLO's sup I am here with my relatives, and the nounced that the summit was off, another port for Iraq during the Gulf crisis. Over only way I'll leave is dead." Arab diplomat asked why Turkey had 90 percent of the deportees have settled "We're aware of the problem," says a even attempted to host a separate gather in Jordan, since they hold Jordanian citi senior official in the office of the govern ing when thewater issue would beraised zenship. Palestinians were denied Ku ment's Coordinator of Activities in the at the peace conference table. "Why," he waiti citizenship. Territories. "But it won't work for them asked, "doesn't Turkey simply come and Sources in the Israeli Civil Admin to stay. These people will face many ob participate in a session where the water istration for the West Bank and Gaza stacles in their day-to-day lives. When issue will be discussed in detail?" Ankara Strip estimate that about 20,000 of the they come to enroll their children in has already announced that it would con Palestinians have entered the territories. school, for example, they'll have to come sider taking part in such a session. Most of these people hold valid Israeli- to us. Eventually we'll run into them, Meanwhile, it appears that Syria is de issued identity cards, issued after the whether it's in an office or in the street." termined to play the Israeli card every 1967 census of the territories, and there Most of the deported Palestinians are time regional water issues arise — fore have legal resident status. Another in Jordan, where the influx is a social which spells trouble for Turkey's own 25,000 in this category are expected to and economic earthquake. Unemploy water projects. arrive within the next few months. ment in the kingdom is at a record 35 Turkev is the source of both the Eu Last month Shaka'a, a prominent law percent, food and housing costs have phrates and Tigris rivers. Ankara has a yer and political activist, proposal, in its initial stagesof planning, traveled to Amman, to pump and sell large amounts ofwater where he signed an to other Middle East countries in a agreement with a Ku "peace pipeline" intended to reduce all waiti law firm. Kuwaiti shortages in the region. Official sources lawyers will represent in Damascus have said that the govern the expelled Palesti ment is prepared to take the project ser nians in court, using iously — as long as the pipe doesn't evidence collected by reach Israel. Shaka'a and colleagues Diplomatic sources here say Damascus against former employ willalso refuse to take part in the pipeline ers in the government project unless Turkey first signs a formal and private sectors. agreement with its downstream neigh Shaka'a then pub bors, Svria and Iraq, over distribution of lished advertisements in the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris. *J the East Jerusalem Ara bic press. Hundreds of returnees responded, THE PALESTINIAN the vast majority from Lining up at a Kuwaiti police station for exit visas: Most of ALIYAH the northern West Bank. the country's 400,000 Palestinians have already left ap "These people went to Kuwait in the 50s and 60s seeking soared, and every day more plane-loads Khaled Abu Toameh work," Shaka'a explains. "During Jorda of Palestinians arrive in Amman. Pales nian rule, the northern area was consid tinians from the territories who have vis A wave of lawsuits follows the ered a remote border zone with no jobs." ited Amman recently say many families Some Palestinians say the Kuwaiti in the capital are sharing apartments, of expulsion from Kuwait government has already agreed to pay ten with five or six people to a room. Thousands of Palestinians in the West compensation to many former employ "You can call it deportation, you can Bank are filing long-distance lawsuits ees and to release frozen Palestinian as even describe it as a population transfer," against their former employers in Kuwait sets from Kuwaiti banks. Since foreigners one Palestinian academic comments. "But for compensation. That's the latestfallout in Kuwait are barred from owning prop I call it the third catastrophe after 1948 from the mass expulsion of the emirate's erty, many had large bank deposits. So and 1967. Imagine what would happen if Palestinian workers, which has swamped far, the promises have not been carried Israel deported 300,000 people. The Jordan and brought a wave of returnees out. whole world would be up in arms. But — legal and illegal — to the territories. Palestinian sources in the territories when an Arab deports or kills his Arab Behind the compensation suits is Pal sav that thousands of Palestinians with brother, it's all right, nothing happens." estinian attorney Ghassan Shaka'a of out residency rights are also returning to And, he adds dryly, "It's also a coinci Nablus in the West Bank, who has be the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since dence that a similar number of Soviet gun gathering evidence to back claims they lackIsraeli-issued IDs,they enter as Jewish immigrants havearrived in Israel by local returnees. "These people arein a visitors — but most are expected to stay during the same year. Now Jordan and terrible financial situation," he explains. on after their visitor permits expire. Israel each have to tackle the problems "Thousand- of Palestinians who worked "1 have nowhere to go," says one such of their own alivah." -I

OCTOBER 17. 1991 THE JERUSALEM REPORT 43