The real minefields are in Ankara, not in south
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Metin Münir - Milliyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 29, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The draft bill on the de-mining project on the Syrian border is the last of the many wrong steps being taken for years, say experts. It would not solve the problem because it is based on the wrong formula. Mine companies will not find it economically beneficial while agricultural companies wil not show interest either, argue experts.
The government has been walking through a political minefield for eight years now trying to find a formula to clear the landmines at the Turkey-Syria border. The latest solution to be proposed is leasing the area for 44 years to the company that clears the mines at no cost.
A bill on this topic is currently being discussed in Parliament. Syria cleared its side of the border of mines years ago without much ado. The Syrians did not only clear their own territory; they also cleared thousands of acres of land in the buffer zone and Turkish territory and allocated it to Syrian farmers in the border villages.
Treasury land
There have been no Turkish citizen-owned private properties in the landmine-affected area since the territory on the Turkish side was nationalized while the Turkey-Syria border was being determined in 1956.
With the exception of the 13,000 decares belonging to Syrian citizens, almost all of the 216,000 decares on this side of the border belongs to the Treasury.
The Turkey-Syria border is believed to be the biggest landmine clearing project in the world.
According to information from various sources, clearing the mines on the 510-kilometer long and 350-meter wide area of the 822-kilometer long border is a job that would last five years.
At current international prices it costs around $500 million. The government wanting to deal with the job by bartering land instead of paying for it created a big fuss.
The opposition is blaming the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of selling Turkish territory to foreign companies.
But the truth is: The draft bill on the demining project is the last of the many wrong steps being taken for years. It would not solve the problem even if it passed because the formula is wrong.
It is impossible for mine companies to find the job beneficial in its present scope. It is also hard for food or agriculture companies to get involved in a job this complicated.
This is the biggest methodical minefield in the world laid by NATO standards, according to an expert. It is unclear if the size of the area is known in certainty.
The government is speaking of 216,000 decares of land but it is not clear if the whole of this territory or just the landmine-affected parts will be rented. There are no landmines in some parts of the area and there are parts where it is not known if they contain landmines.
Official sources indicate there are 650,000 landmines in the territory. It is believed that there is a landmine every 500 meters. The mines have claimed 3,000 lives in the past 50 years while crippling 7,000. The mines were marked on a map while they were being laid. An officer who served in the Southeast said: "All personnel that served there know the places of landmines in the area because the mines have moved little."
Quality of the land
The land containing landmines was left on its own for almost 60 years. That is why it is ideal for agriculture and especially organic agriculture. Gökhan Günaydın, president of the Agriculture Engineers Chamber, said: "Agricultural fields of first and second class form the majority in the mentioned minefields. The 80 percent of the minefields are available for agriculture, approximately 170,000 decares. The 70 percent of this area is suitable for irrigation.
The government believes these evaluations are exaggerated. The law draft presented to the Parliament indicates the land is not as fertile as thought. The area is also not as big in size as believed and irrigation is not always possible, according to the law draft, which also argues practicing organic agriculture at the area is costly. These are the reasons for giving the job to big companies. It is not likely those firms to be of Turkish origin. It is not easy for Turkish companies to find the necessary finances in times of the global economic crisis. Whether international companies would come to this risky place or not is another matter.
A bill on this topic is currently being discussed in Parliament. Syria cleared its side of the border of mines years ago without much ado. The Syrians did not only clear their own territory; they also cleared thousands of acres of land in the buffer zone and Turkish territory and allocated it to Syrian farmers in the border villages.
Treasury land
There have been no Turkish citizen-owned private properties in the landmine-affected area since the territory on the Turkish side was nationalized while the Turkey-Syria border was being determined in 1956.
With the exception of the 13,000 decares belonging to Syrian citizens, almost all of the 216,000 decares on this side of the border belongs to the Treasury.
The Turkey-Syria border is believed to be the biggest landmine clearing project in the world.
According to information from various sources, clearing the mines on the 510-kilometer long and 350-meter wide area of the 822-kilometer long border is a job that would last five years.
At current international prices it costs around $500 million. The government wanting to deal with the job by bartering land instead of paying for it created a big fuss.
The opposition is blaming the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of selling Turkish territory to foreign companies.
But the truth is: The draft bill on the demining project is the last of the many wrong steps being taken for years. It would not solve the problem even if it passed because the formula is wrong.
It is impossible for mine companies to find the job beneficial in its present scope. It is also hard for food or agriculture companies to get involved in a job this complicated.
This is the biggest methodical minefield in the world laid by NATO standards, according to an expert. It is unclear if the size of the area is known in certainty.
The government is speaking of 216,000 decares of land but it is not clear if the whole of this territory or just the landmine-affected parts will be rented. There are no landmines in some parts of the area and there are parts where it is not known if they contain landmines.
Official sources indicate there are 650,000 landmines in the territory. It is believed that there is a landmine every 500 meters. The mines have claimed 3,000 lives in the past 50 years while crippling 7,000. The mines were marked on a map while they were being laid. An officer who served in the Southeast said: "All personnel that served there know the places of landmines in the area because the mines have moved little."
Quality of the land
The land containing landmines was left on its own for almost 60 years. That is why it is ideal for agriculture and especially organic agriculture. Gökhan Günaydın, president of the Agriculture Engineers Chamber, said: "Agricultural fields of first and second class form the majority in the mentioned minefields. The 80 percent of the minefields are available for agriculture, approximately 170,000 decares. The 70 percent of this area is suitable for irrigation.
The government believes these evaluations are exaggerated. The law draft presented to the Parliament indicates the land is not as fertile as thought. The area is also not as big in size as believed and irrigation is not always possible, according to the law draft, which also argues practicing organic agriculture at the area is costly. These are the reasons for giving the job to big companies. It is not likely those firms to be of Turkish origin. It is not easy for Turkish companies to find the necessary finances in times of the global economic crisis. Whether international companies would come to this risky place or not is another matter.