Construction interrupted on "friendship dam" along Turkey-Syria border

The construction of a dam on a river flowing from Syria to Turkey has been further delayed due to protests in Syria, which have been going on for three months in an attempt to break President Bashar Assad's iron grip on power. According to the State Waterworks Authority (DSI), progress has been slow on the dam, whose construction began this February along the Orontes (Asi) River. The beginning of construction of the dam, dubbed "the dam of friendship," was long delayed amid disagreements over technical details. In January 2010, it was announced that both countries had agreed to build the dam. In the course of subsequent discussions, they decided to use the dam exclusively for irrigation purposes and flood prevention. But completion of the dam requires that both Turkey and Syria sign a protocol, which has been postponed.