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Lebanon Awaits Extension of UNIFIL Mandate, STL Ruling

UNIFIL peacekeepers watch as Israeli workers build a wall near the border with Israel, near the village of Naqoura, Lebanon March 6, 2018. (Reuters)
UNIFIL peacekeepers watch as Israeli workers build a wall near the border with Israel, near the village of Naqoura, Lebanon March 6, 2018. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Awaits Extension of UNIFIL Mandate, STL Ruling

UNIFIL peacekeepers watch as Israeli workers build a wall near the border with Israel, near the village of Naqoura, Lebanon March 6, 2018. (Reuters)
UNIFIL peacekeepers watch as Israeli workers build a wall near the border with Israel, near the village of Naqoura, Lebanon March 6, 2018. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s political circles are awaiting the extension of the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The UN Security Council is expected to decide on the extension at the end of August, amid mounting tension between the United States and Iran, through Tehran’s strategic ally – Hezbollah.

In parallel, Beirut is awaiting the ruling of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on July 22, on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005 and the start of the trial of the defendants in the two assassination attempts against MP Marwan Hamadeh and former deputy Prime Minister Elias Al-Murr, as well as the assassination of former Secretary General of the Lebanese Communist Party George Hawi. The ruling and trial are significant because all suspects are Hezbollah members.

The extension of UNIFIL’s mandate coincides with Washington’s hinting that it may refrain from financing the peacekeeping forces’ needs to support the Lebanese army in the implementation of resolution 1701, which may lead to the decrease in the number of UN troops in southern Lebanon.

In this regard, western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington has repeatedly called for expanding UNIFIL’s powers and promoting its role in the South.

According to the diplomatic sources, Washington believes that it was no longer possible to maintain the “cohabitation” between the international forces and the Lebanese army on one side and Hezbollah, which is impeding the mission of UNIFIL and preventing its troops from entering villages and towns, on the other.

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Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
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Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)

Egypt is continuing to strengthen its cooperation with African nations to confront the pressing challenges of water and food security.

“Water issues are a shared challenge that grows more severe due to climate change and resource scarcity, especially given Egypt’s near-total dependence on Nile water,” Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Hani Sewilam said, according to an official statement by the Egyptian Cabinet on Friday.

Speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister during a celebration at the Djibouti Embassy in Cairo marking Djibouti’s 48th independence anniversary, Sewilam emphasized that cross-border cooperation, rooted in principles of international law, is the optimal path to ensure sustainable water resources.

Egypt frequently raises the issue of water security, particularly amid the ongoing crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia has built on the main tributary of the Nile since 2011 to generate electricity. Egypt and Sudan fear it will impact their water shares.

Ambassador Salah Halima, former Assistant Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs, stressed that water security is closely linked to river management and dam operations. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt consistently underscores the importance of respecting international laws and agreements on managing water resources and criticized Ethiopia’s unilateral actions to impose a de facto situation regarding the dam.

Halima added that achieving water security requires cooperation among states in managing water resources and constructing dams, noting that Egypt has valuable experience African nations can benefit from.

Egypt faces a water deficit estimated at 30 billion cubic meters annually. Its share of Nile water amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters per year, while consumption exceeds 85 billion cubic meters. The shortfall is covered by groundwater extraction, seawater desalination projects, and recycling agricultural drainage water, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

On Friday, Sewilam highlighted the longstanding ties between Egypt and Djibouti as an example of cooperation amid complex regional and global challenges requiring greater unity and shared vision. He noted that the regional and international context demands an understanding of the magnitude of challenges, ranging from security and peace to sustainable development and socio-economic stability, especially in the Arab and African regions.

Egypt is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Djibouti’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to cooperate in fields such as integrated water resources management, desalination technologies, groundwater recharge, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and joint research.

In parallel, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with African countries to develop more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural value chains. Speaking during FAO meetings in Rome, he said that strengthening these chains is central to food security, economic growth, and job creation, particularly in rural areas. Farouk also discussed promoting Egyptian investment in Africa to boost agricultural development and food security across the continent.