KYOTO -- A two-day meeting of ministers from 170 countries opened Saturday in Kyoto at the World Water Forum, with delegates making firm promises to deal with the world's water crisis.
The call to action, however, came amid protracted arguments over whether or not water resources should be privatized, growing doubts over Japan's leadership as host of the forum and the United States-led war on Iraq.
"Without concrete action, the world's water problems cannot be solved. We need to act now," said Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi, who opened the morning session.