Egypt's Embassy in Vienna Organizes Seminar over Ethiopian Dam

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo
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Egypt's Embassy in Vienna Organizes Seminar over Ethiopian Dam

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

The Egyptian embassy in Vienna held a seminar in cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy to address the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue.

The event is part of Cairo's intensified diplomatic efforts to pressure Ethiopia to reach an agreement.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ahmed Hafez said the seminar aims to highlight the threats posed by the Dam on Egypt and Sudan and to find a way to reach a fair deal that would guarantee the rights of all sides.

The event was attended by representatives from international organizations and UN officials in Austria, as well as an elite of experts and academics.

Egypt and Sudan are concerned that their share of the Nile waters will be impacted due to the recurrent filling of the GERD, as well as other consequences.

The three countries have been holding negotiations to resolve the dispute over the GERD for about ten years, without reaching an agreement despite the involvement of the United States, World Bank and African Union.

This comes days after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asserted his country does not negotiate for the sake of negotiating, stressing that Egypt will not accept the consolidation of the status quo on the ground.

Egypt will not be a hostage to the efforts to impose hegemony on the Nile River, he declared before parliament.

In this context, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Abdel Aty has urged for the acceleration of the procedures necessary to shifting from flood irrigation to modern irrigation systems.

He called for focusing on success stories that could motivate farmers to adopt modern techniques.



Netanyahu Says he Ordered Military to Prepare for Intense War in Lebanon if Ceasefire Violated

(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
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Netanyahu Says he Ordered Military to Prepare for Intense War in Lebanon if Ceasefire Violated

(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
(FILES) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after speaking during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday during an interview with Israeli Channel 14 that he had ordered the military to be prepared for an intense war in Lebanon if the ceasefire's framework is violated.

The ceasefire was brokered by the United States and France to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fought in parallel with the Gaza war. The truce lasts for 60 days in the hope of reaching a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The ceasefire deal stipulates that unauthorized military facilities south of the Litani River should be dismantled, but does not mention military facilities north of the river.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 3,961 people and injured 16,520 others since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday.

Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

Under the ceasefire terms, Israeli forces can take up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon but neither side can launch offensive operations.

Netanyahu also said that conditions for reaching a possible deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip have considerably improved.
Asked about a possible hostage deal in the interview, Netanyahu said: "I think the conditions have very much changed for the better."
He did not give specific details.