Med water conference ends in failure due to Israel-Arab row

Scarce water after Brazil mudslides
Rio De Janeiro (UPI) Apr 13, 2010 - Water shortages have added to the misery of thousands of slum dwellers of Rio de Janeiro after last week's mudslides that left more than 400 people dead. The water shortages are the latest twist after the basic amenities in the shanty towns, nearly all unofficial and in many cases controlled by armed gangs, were severely affected by the mudslides. Officials admitted they had no idea of how many people might be buried in collapsed hillsides where Rio de Janeiro's slums are spread out in defiance of the law. A rescue operation begun last week at the scene of the largest mudslide continued Monday amid recrimination over the responsibility for slow progress of digging through the mudslides for survivors.

The media and representatives of the residents blamed the government for failing to take timely precautions as heavy rain soaked and softened the hillsides early last week, precipitating the disastrous collapse of ground in many of the densely populated shanty town neighborhoods. One of the most affected areas was the slum of Niteroi, across the bay from Rio do Janeiro. The mudslides focused attention on Brazil's huge income disparities and major shortcomings in the infrastructure of Rio de Janeiro, host to the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

More than 50,000 inhabitants of the favelas have been left homeless, officials said. Many others were ordered out of the slums amid the risk of further mudslides. Geologist Marcelo Motta told the media that release of methane gas from piles of rubbish softened by the rain contributed to hillsides cracking open and causing disastrous mudslides. Despite heavy flooding, the disruptions meant supply of safe water as well as electricity and gas supplies wouldn't be fully restored for some time. The government faced fresh criticism for its lax control on urban planning that allowed runaway growth in the slums. Less criticism was directed at the armed gangs that control almost every aspect of life in the favelas and are regarded as the real authority in the areas.

Mudslides also threatened to turn public anger on populist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before the October elections, in which he expects his chosen candidate, his chief of staff Dilma Rousseff, to win and succeed him as the next head of state. Both the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral Rio, and Mayor Eduardo Paes, made numerous television pronouncements to remove the slums and slum-dwellers to safer locations and also to provide new housing. Their pledges were received with disbelief, as neither the government nor the slum dwellers believe likely any serious effort to move residents from slums to new housing. Labor Minister Carlos Lupi said a 30-year credit line of $567 million has been set up to fund new public housing.

by Staff Writers
Barcelona, Spain (AFP) April 13, 2010
Talks aimed at adopting a water management strategy for the Mediterranean failed Tuesday due to a row between Israel and Arab countries over a reference to the Palestinian territories, participants said.

The stalemate was seen as a strong blow against the nascent 43-nation Mediterranean Union, which was set up two years ago to foster cooperation in one of the world's most volatile regions.

"Unfortunately we can not reach an agreement," French secretary of state for European affairs Pierre Lellouche said at the end of the 4th Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water in Barcelona where the body is based.

The conference aimed to reach an agreement on a strategy for managing fresh water in the Mediterranean to ensure equal access to the non-renewable resource and prevent the issue from becoming a source of conflict in the future.

But a reference to "occupied territories" in a proposed draft text prevented the approval of a final accord event though delegates were in agreement on 99 percent of the technical issues related to water management", said Lellouche.

Israel disagreed with this wording while Arab nations opposed to the alternative formulation of "territories under occupation" proposed by European participants, he added.

The head of the body, Jordan's Ahmad Masa'deh, said he was saddened by the failure to reach an agreement at the conference because it "casts doubt on the future of the Mediterranean Union."

The union groups all 27 EU member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, the Arab world as well as Israel in a bid to foster cooperation in the region.

It was established in 2008 in Paris by France and Egypt but was temporarily mothballed in early 2009 because of tensions caused by Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"My disappointment is matched only by my hope, this structure is irreversible," said Lellouche, adding the body is a "fundamental project for peace in this region and it has not lost any validity".

Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau rejected responsibility for the failure of the talks and blamed Arab nations instead.

"We wanted to concentrate solely on the problems of water and avoid entering into political themes. But Arab League nations lapsed into pure propaganda and made political declarations against the state of Israel," he said.

"They decided to obstruct the meeting," he added.

The issue of access to water is of crucial importance for the inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin.

Some 290 million people in the region could lack water by 2025 due to the combined effects of population growth, rising needs of agriculture, industry and tourism and global warming, according to the United Nations.

Over 180 million people in the region already lack water and over 60 million people face chronic shortages, according to Mediterranean Union experts.

Water management is a major source of tension between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel largely controls joint water resources and supplies most of the water consumed in the West Bank.

International organisations say Israel's water supplies fall short of Palestinian needs, but also that the Palestinians have failed to set up the infrastructure and institutions needed in the water sector.

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