Israel, Turkey Agree to 20-Year Water Deal
"Water is like money in the bank."
Ramit Plushnick-Masti, The Associated Press, JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel agreed to buy about 1.75 billion cubic feet of water from Turkey annually for the next 20 years to alleviate the nation's growing water shortage and ensure the success of an arms deal with Ankara, Israeli officials said.

The quantity was believed to be enough to satisfy about 7 percent of Israel's annual needs for potable water.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Turkey's Energy Minister Zeki Cakan reached the deal at a meeting in Jerusalem. While the price was not agreed, a joint committee was set up "to discuss and finalize the issue," according to a joint statement released after the talks.

Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin said the water deal was tied to the sale of a big package of Israeli weapons to Turkey, including tanks and air force technology.

Israel's relationship with the large Islamic country is important to the Jewish state, especially in the midst of 22 months of fighting with the Palestinians, which has caused tension in the Middle East and strained Israel's ties with Egypt and Jordan, Arab country's with which it has signed peace treaties.

Turkey is one of the few countries in the region with water reserves and sales of the precious commodity could boost its position as a regional power, bringing in tens of millions of dollars of badly needed hard currency.

Turkey had tied the arms purchase to the water agreement, Gissin said, but denied media reports that Ankara had threatened to cancel the deal if Israel did not sign the water purchase. Gissin refused to say what price Turkey was paying for the weapons.

Israel and Turkey have a "very large, complex strategic and commercial relationship" so both were interested in an agreement, Gissin said. "Turkey is an important part of our overall regional policy."

Gissin said Israel agreed to buy water at a price higher than what it would have cost to desalinate sea water. He said Israel would not have those facilities for five more years.

"There's costs and benefits on both sides of this. Water, additional water, will never hurt Israel because we are at a very grave shortage," Gissin said. "Water is like money in the bank. You can use it in the future."