Egypt is working to get Nile Basin countries to return to the negotiating table, Dina Ezzat reports While pursuing broad cooperation with Nile Basin countries, Egypt is also working to "encourage" them "resume" negotiations on a controversial agreement adopted by the majority in May to redistribute Nile water shares. "We are very keen that the upstream countries resume negotiations. And we are asking development partners in Nile Basin countries to encourage them resume negotiations," said an official Egyptian source. In May, four out of seven upstream Nile Basin countries joined the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), despite the announced opposition of the two lower stream countries, Egypt and Sudan. The NBI is designed to cut the water shares of both Egypt and Sudan. Cairo and Khartoum insist the agreement is legally null and void. They say no new agreement can overturn previous agreements, even those signed during the British colonial period. Following the signing of the NBI, Egypt expressed much anger and resentment at the move. This reaction was later contained as Cairo opted for a "cooler" approach that included top-level talks and the exchange of visits with leaders of concerned countries. Today, Egyptian officials report that this approach of "containment" is scoring "some success", but they still anticipate hard times ahead. "We have made some progress in the containment of bad feelings in upstream countries. We have been somewhat successful in conveying the message that Egypt is not being hostile towards them, and that Egypt is keen to find a way by which all the Nile Basin countries have sufficient water resources to cover their needs -- now and in the future," said the same official. According to this official, the Egyptian strategy in handling the Nile water issue spans two tracks: first, to help upstream countries reduce their considerable water losses so their needs can be sufficiently covered without cutting the annual 55 billion cubic metre share allocated to Egypt; second, to resume negotiations on the NBI to avoid legal disagreement amongst relevant countries. In applying this strategy, Egypt has been offering its expertise to upstream countries to maximise their water usage efficiency. It is also working to improve its own water usage efficiency. Egypt is in particular promoting projects to cut down the considerable loss of Nile water in south Sudan and Ethiopia. Cairo has been soliciting the support of donor states in this strategy. "We are telling all concerned that we are not in the business of harming the interests of upstream countries, but we cannot accept that our interests be harmed either," the official said. The final result of the Egyptian diplomatic exercise is not clear yet. Upstream countries have not given any nod of approval to the Egyptian call for the resumption of NBI negotiations. And donors have not promised long- term commitment to the Egyptian call for "prior notification" on plans to finance water or irrigation projects -- especially high capacity dams -- on the Nile. "We have very clear legal rights, both in relation to our annual share and in relation to prior notification, but we are saying that we are still willing to negotiate a deal that would provide all Nile Basin countries with water security," the official said. A round of new consultations among Nile Basin countries is due in autumn, tentatively, at the level of ministers of water and irrigation. At this meeting Egypt would again propose the "resumption of NBI negotiations".
