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Arab World

Egypt Condemns Ethiopian ‘Procrastination’ in Resolving GERD Crisis

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) annual conference (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) annual conference (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Condemns Ethiopian ‘Procrastination’ in Resolving GERD Crisis

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) annual conference (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) annual conference (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt asserted that it adheres to "restraint" despite Ethiopia's "procrastination" in reaching a legal framework regarding the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), announced Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday.

Shoukry accused some upstream countries of attempting to monopolize and control water resources.

Egypt fears the GERD would damage its limited share of the Nile water, about 55.5 billion cubic meters, which the country needs for more than 90 percent of its supply of drinking water, irrigation for agriculture, and industry.

During the inauguration of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) annual conference, Shoukry reviewed the water security challenges facing the Middle East and the African continent.

The Minister noted that some upstream countries are trying to monopolize the water resource and control it without regard for the capabilities of other riparian countries.

Egypt adopted a position that does not object to establishing development projects in the Nile River basin countries as long as there was prior coordination and it did not harm the downstream countries.

Egypt has been in futile negotiations for more than a decade with Ethiopia and Sudan in an attempt to reach an agreement.

Shoukry said the negotiations stumbled due to Ethiopia's procrastination in reaching a binding legal framework for filling and operating the Dam, stressing Egypt's adherence to restraint and observance of the rights of the Ethiopian people.

He asserted the need to reach, without delay or procrastination, a binding legal agreement regarding the GERD filling and operation.

Negotiations between the three countries have been frozen since April 2021 after the failure of the African Union (AU) to mediate a solution to the dispute.

Egypt resorted to the UN Security Council to protest and demand pressure on Ethiopia through international partners to accept an agreement that satisfies all parties.

Head of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) Mohammed al-Orabi noted that Ethiopia was unwilling to negotiate, accusing it of unilaterally and annually filling the reservoir.

Orabi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statements of Ethiopian officials claiming Addis Ababa's readiness for negotiations could have been more profound.

The diplomat called for international intervention to solve the issue, threatening the entire region's stability.

In recent months, the US showed interest in following this issue closely, according to the Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid on the sidelines of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Cairo in January.

Blinken said Washington supported any solution that considers all parties' interests, calling on all parties involved in the GERD issue to show flexibility to deal with the existential interests that Egypt has in this regard.

On August 11, the Ethiopian government announced the operation of a second turbine in the Dam to generate electricity. It also announced the completion of the third phase of filling the reservoir, which was met with an Egyptian-Sudanese protest.

A few weeks ago, satellite images showed Ethiopian preparations to start the fourth filling of the GERD ahead of the rainy season next summer.

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Arab World

Egypt Moves to Step Up Fuel Supply Ahead of Rise in Power Demand This Summer

Egyptian youths play football in an open area beside a mountain near Cairo, Egypt, June 29, 2026, as the country follows the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
Egyptian youths play football in an open area beside a mountain near Cairo, Egypt, June 29, 2026, as the country follows the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
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Egypt Moves to Step Up Fuel Supply Ahead of Rise in Power Demand This Summer

Egyptian youths play football in an open area beside a mountain near Cairo, Egypt, June 29, 2026, as the country follows the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
Egyptian youths play football in an open area beside a mountain near Cairo, Egypt, June 29, 2026, as the country follows the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)

Egypt's ‌electricity and petroleum ministers met on Tuesday to coordinate fuel supply and grid management ahead of a summer in which power demand is expected to rise 8% over last year's record peak of 40,000 megawatts, according to a joint ministry statement.

Electricity Minister Mahmoud Esmat and ‌Petroleum Minister Karim ‌Badawi said the two ‌ministries ⁠were working as "one ⁠team" to secure fuel supplies for power stations and stabilize the national grid during peak hours.

Esmat said the electricity sector planned to add 2,200 MW of renewable ⁠energy capacity and 1,300 MW ‌of battery ‌storage to the grid this year, and ‌had already cut fuel consumption ‌per kilowatt to below 170 grams.

Badawi said that LNG regasification vessels were operating at high efficiency to supplement gas ‌production, while the Damietta LNG export terminal was being used ⁠to ⁠store LNG cargoes to be used when needed.

Egypt suffered severe rolling blackouts in 2023 and had to rely on foreign funding to stabilize its grid in 2024.

Egypt's gas production stood at 3,214 million cubic meters in April, while imports were 2,190 million cubic meters, according to the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).

Arab World

Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Israeli Attacks on Syria

A man holds an unexploded artillery shell that fell during reported overnight Israeli bombardment that hit the village of Abidin in Syria's southwestern Daraa province, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
A man holds an unexploded artillery shell that fell during reported overnight Israeli bombardment that hit the village of Abidin in Syria's southwestern Daraa province, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
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Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Israeli Attacks on Syria

A man holds an unexploded artillery shell that fell during reported overnight Israeli bombardment that hit the village of Abidin in Syria's southwestern Daraa province, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
A man holds an unexploded artillery shell that fell during reported overnight Israeli bombardment that hit the village of Abidin in Syria's southwestern Daraa province, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)

Outgoing Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned on Tuesday the Israeli attacks and repeated incursions into Syrian territory, most recently the artillery shelling that targeted the governorates of Quneitra and Daraa.

He described these actions as a “blatant violation” of Syria's sovereignty and a “flagrant breach” of international law.

In a statement, Aboul Gheit warned that “the continued violations by the Israeli forces threaten to widen the scope of the conflict and undermine efforts to restore security and stability.”

He called on the United Nations Security Council “to fulfill its responsibilities by taking action to end these aggressive actions and ensure Israel's compliance with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.”

Arab World

Lebanon’s Shiite Alliance United Against Israel Framework Deal, Divided Over Protests

Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in Beirut’s southern suburbs with burning tires on Saturday to protest the 2026 trilateral agreement signed by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in Beirut’s southern suburbs with burning tires on Saturday to protest the 2026 trilateral agreement signed by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon’s Shiite Alliance United Against Israel Framework Deal, Divided Over Protests

Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in Beirut’s southern suburbs with burning tires on Saturday to protest the 2026 trilateral agreement signed by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon (AFP)
Hezbollah supporters block the old airport road in Beirut’s southern suburbs with burning tires on Saturday to protest the 2026 trilateral agreement signed by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon (AFP)

Calls by Hezbollah supporters to take to the streets in protest against the US-sponsored framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel has drawn only a few dozen demonstrators in downtown Beirut.

Also, dozens of motorcyclists blocked the airport road before the Lebanese army reopened it, underscoring the limited scale of the protests.

Observers attributed this to the absence of supporters from the Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, highlighting one of the main obstacles to any attempt to mobilize the street.

The Israel-Lebanon deal calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed before Israel will withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon. Israel agreed to withdraw initially from a couple of “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army would then deploy, but no details have been shared about how that will work in practice.

While Hezbollah and Amal - the two pillars of Lebanon’s Shiite alliance - remain united in rejecting the agreement, sources familiar with Amal’s position told Asharq Al-Awsat that the priority is to challenge it through constitutional institutions while keeping all options open as events unfold.

Opponents of the alliance, however, argue that there’s a growing discord between the two parties on how to navigate the next phase.

Unified rejection

Mohammad Khawaja, a member of the parliamentary Development and Liberation bloc, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bloc categorically rejects the agreement, describing it as “a bad and completely unacceptable deal.”

Khawaja dismissed reports of differences between Amal and Hezbollah, insisting that “all talk of divisions within the Shiite duo is unfounded."

He added that the agreement was unacceptable in its current form and expressed hope that those behind it would reconsider it.

No decision on street protests

Sources within the Shiite duo told Asharq Al-Awsat that it is “premature” to offer assurances about whether street protests will or will not be held.

The sources said the current stage requires patience and that the alliance’s response will depend on political and constitutional developments surrounding the agreement. All options, they added, remain on the table.

That position broadly aligns with recent statements by Hezbollah officials, who have argued that the agreement “will not survive.”

At the same time, the party has sought to distance itself from recent street protests, saying they reflect public distrust of the authorities. While Hezbollah rejects both the agreement and the direct negotiations that produced it, it denies organizing or mobilizing the demonstrations.

Opponents of the Shiite alliance argue that differences are becoming increasingly apparent, particularly on how the agreement could reshape Lebanon’s domestic political landscape.

While both Hezbollah and Amal continue to emphasize their united rejection of the deal and favor constitutional and political channels for now, critics believe the coming months will reveal whether that cohesion endures or evolves into a more visible political divide.

Independent MP Ibrahim Mneimneh told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri appears fully aware of the responsibility he bears and may seek to give state-building a genuine opportunity, while Hezbollah continues to rely on a highly polarizing political discourse.