Shafaq News/ A member of the Iraqi parliament's Integrity Committee said that mega-contracts with Turkish companies can be used by the Iraqi government to pressure Ankara into concessions in the files of water and military presence on Iraqi soil.

Committee Member Ahmed Rabeie expressed discontent with the Iraqi government's patience with Ankara's perpetration while it can use the mega-contracts with Turkish companies to boost its leverage in the negotiations over its share in the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq.

"The dams Turkey is building have taken a toll on Iraq, particularly the southern governorates. Drought has increased the water salinity in Basra,  which -in addition to its impact on humans- affected the territory's flora and fauna," the lawmaker said.

"The Iraqi government did not wait for the Iraqi bloodshed in Duhok to dry to award Turkish companies huge contracts to rehabilitate the Mosul and al-Anbar airports," he said, "it should use this leverage to exert pressure on the Turkish side for Iraq's interest."

"The contracts were awarded exceptionally by a caretaker government, contrary to the law, for their importance. On the other hand, these exceptions might be a caveat for public assets waste and corruption," he concluded.