Egypt Calls for Bolstering Political, Diplomatic Cooperation in Water Management

Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation honors farmers and researchers at the conclusion of the 4th Cairo Water Week. (Egyptian Government via Facebook)
Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation honors farmers and researchers at the conclusion of the 4th Cairo Water Week. (Egyptian Government via Facebook)
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Egypt Calls for Bolstering Political, Diplomatic Cooperation in Water Management

Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation honors farmers and researchers at the conclusion of the 4th Cairo Water Week. (Egyptian Government via Facebook)
Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation honors farmers and researchers at the conclusion of the 4th Cairo Water Week. (Egyptian Government via Facebook)

Egypt called for bolstering political and diplomatic dialogue and technical cooperation in the field of managing shared water resources.

According to a cabinet statement, the 4th Cairo Water Week concluded on Friday and issued recommendations underscoring the importance of relying on smart techniques supported by information technology to improve water management effectively.

It further stressed the need to expand the use of remote sensing techniques, which help in obtaining data at the lowest cost possible, and digitize the water sector.

It is essential to address the factors affecting the future of the water sector (namely, population increase and climate change), while prioritizing this sector, being the most affected by climate change, and placing it at the top of the international agendas, the statement read.

Meanwhile, talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the operation and filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have once again faltered.

Cairo and Khartoum demand that the three countries reach a legally binding agreement to fill and operate the dam and fear the dam’s impact on their water shares.

In mid-September, the UN Security Council called on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume negotiations under the auspices of the African Union, stressing the need to reach a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the mega dam within a “reasonable timetable.”

The European Union had on Thursday called on the three countries to return to the GERD negotiations.



Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)

The permanent delegates to the Arab League will convene an extraordinary session on Sunday, chaired by Yemen, in response to a request from Iraq.

Arab League Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Hossam Zaki said on Saturday that the meeting will focus on a memo from the UN Security Council president, which contains the Israeli occupation's claims of increased attacks from Iraqi territory since September, SPA reported.

"The General Secretariat of the Arab League received Iraq's request to hold an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council.”

“The request was circulated among member states for consultation, and it was agreed to hold the meeting tomorrow at the General Secretariat," Zaki said, adding that several Arab countries have expressed support for Iraq's initiative.