The head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urged Middle East countries to make better use of the region's water resources.
"The problem is not a shortage of water but better use of available resources in the region," Director General Jacques Diouf told reporters ahead of Tuesday's FAO regional conference for the Near East in the Qatari capital.
"Solutions to the problems exist, including technical solutions," he added Monday, noting that drought and population growth was increasing demand for water.
Diouf also called for neighbouring countries to negotiate on water-sharing.
A week-long series of meetings designed to ease tension between nine African countries and Egypt opened in Nairobi on Monday, with sharing water from the River Nile at the top of the agenda, officials said.
Twenty-two of the 32 Near East countries are attending the Doha conference which has focussed on measures to prevent famine, food safety and financing for agriculture, as well as water resources and drought mitigation.
Source: Associated Free Press
