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Implementation of the agreed measures starts

18 December 2007

After the project contracts for the dam project Ilisu became effective, the independent experts, who form the "Committee of Experts" (CoE), jointly travelled the project area, as agreed, for the first time in order to determine the status quo and to discuss the necessary next steps with the Turkish side.

During their ten day field visit the experts toured part of the region where the future reservoir will be and talked to people affected and the authorities responsible for the construction. They concentrated in particular on the six villages in the vicinity of the future dam's construction site, which will be the first to be affected by the planned resettlement measures. There, the experts had talks with more than 50 families and got an impression of the population's level of information and of the measures taken so far.

A detailed report of the experts on the journey will be published on the project's internet page by the end of January. However, it is already certain that a number of measures are required to guarantee that all agreements and conditions for the export guarantees will be met. A crucial element in this context is the planned extension of a unit which will be responsible for the proper implementation of all measures agreed for the environment, the cultural assets and the affected population (the so-called Project Implementation Unit, PIU) and its provision with adequate resources. This organizational measure is a particular challenge while the Turkish water authority DSI, the project sponsor, is currently undergoing a reorganization in connection with a government reshuffle. The experts thoroughly discussed this problem, the detailed planning and the required measures to maintain the standard of living of the population affected by the project, especially within the vicinity of the construction site, as well as the next steps for archaeological, ethnographic and biological investigations with the DSI at the end of their visit.

During the coming weeks and months the focus will be on the implementation of the necessary measures; they will be closely monitored both by the experts and by the Export Credit Agencies in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

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