Cairo hosts conference on Arab water security

Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid will open on February 21 in Cairo the 8th conference on Arab Water security held by the Paris-based Arab-European Studies Center and the Arab League.

The league's official spokesman, Tal'at Hamed, told reporters the three-day conference would discuss main issues related to Arab water in the international law and challenges confronting this vital resource.

He said the conference would also look into effects of the Turkish project on the Euphrates river and on other rim countries as well as the Israeli avidity on Arab water.

The conference will discuss means of setting up an Arab strategy that guarantees water and river security, and ways of averting the Middle East region possible future wars over water.

Studies found that 90% of Arab lands lie in dry and semi-dry areas, and 75% of the Middle East population would face food and water crises within 10 to 20 years.