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.



Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, The Associated Press reported.

The Israeli army said a warplane carried out an airstrike after "terrorist activity was detected at a Hezbollah facility containing medium-range rockets in south Lebanon."

"The IDF (Israeli army) is deployed in southern Lebanon, acting to thwart any violation of the ceasefire agreement," the Israeli military added.

The mayor of the town of Baysariyeh in southern Lebanon, Nazih Eid, told AFP that a warplane launched a raid "on the eastern edge of the town of Baysariyeh. They targeted a forested area not accessible to civilians."

The aerial attack came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.

The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.

On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Thursday it was ending some protective restrictions that had limited the size of gatherings in parts of central and northern Israel.

The change was made following a situational assessment, the military said.