Iran blames Iraq for border fires

Iran says the Iraq wants to force out Shia fighters

By Jim Muir BBC correspondent, Tehran

Iran has complained to Iraq about huge fires which are reported to be burning large areas of the former marshland on the border between the two countries.

The Marsh Arabs lived in the area for 6,000 years

A statement by the Iranian environmental protection agency said the fires had begun more than two months ago, and were still burning now.

It said thick clouds of smoke were being pushed across the border by a south westerly wind, and the resulting pollution was affecting people in many towns and villages on the Iranian side.

Click here for a map of the area

It added that the development had been reported to the Iranian foreign ministry, which had taken it up with the Iraqi Government.

The marshes

10,000 sq kms between the Tigris and the Euphrates

Marsh Arabs who inhabit the area build houses known as sarifas, which are constructed of reeds

Main mode of transport is a long, slim canoe, known as a mashuf.

Officials in south-west Iran have been quoted as blaming the Iraqi military for starting the fires, speculating that it may have been a pre-emptive move, aimed at driving out rebel Shia fighters in advance of a possible American attack on Iraq.

The main Iraqi Shia opposition group, which is based in Iran, did not believe that to be the case on this occasion.

But it pointed out that the fires would not have been possible had the Baghdad government not dried out much of the marshes of south east Iraq by huge drainage schemes in recent years.

The marshes were a globally important wetland, sustaining a huge volume of wildlife, especially birds, as well as a unique way of life for the marsh dwelling people.

Water cut

The United Nations environment programme has said that about 90% of the marshes have been destroyed, describing it as an environmental catastrophe and a major loss to all humanity.

While Iraq has done most of the damage, part of the wetlands also straddle the border into Iran.

The UN says the surviving portion there is less than half the size it was in the 1970s, because of dam projects which have reduced the water flow into the area.

It has called on the Iranian authorities to allocate sufficient water resources to ensure the survival of a unique and fragile eco-system.

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