Iraq's PM warns Arab states may face 'water war'

BBC: Arab states could be headed towards a future war over water if they do not act quickly to tackle shortages, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has warned. At a conference in Baghdad, he urged countries to work together in order to prevent conflict in the arid region.

Issues include desertification, poor water management, and the need for most Arab countries to rely on the goodwill of upstream states for river water.

Arab countries are seeking to address the water crisis with a unified plan.

The BBC's Rami Ruhayem in Baghdad says Arab leaders have in the past failed to tackle common crises because of infighting and inefficiency. And with popular uprisings tearing through the region, their differences seem to be getting even worse, our correspondent adds....

A destroyed Iraqi truck north of Kuwait City in the first Gulf war, 1991