Nile water is a matter of life and death for Egypt, which depends on the Nile for 95 percent of its water needs, said Mufeed Shehab, minister of state for legal affairs and parliamentary councils. The other Nile Basin countries, on the other hand, have several other sources of water, said Shehab. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir both wrote letters to the presidents of source countries calling on them to enter into a new round of negotiations after the failure of the latest round in Sharm el-sheikh, Shehab added. Egypt hopes that source countries will go back on their decision to sign a framework agreement that excludes Nile drainage basin countries, said the minister. Mohamed Nasr Eddin Allam, minister of irrigation and water resources, said that Egypt will not sign the framework agreement unless it includes clear provisions that safeguard Egypt's rights. He also said that such an agreement should include steps to notify Nile Basin countries of water projects affecting the Nile. Articles in the framework agreement shouldn't be amended except through consensus, he added, with Egypt and Sudan having the right to veto decisions. Allam accused source countries of violating the Nile Basin initiative, which stipulates that decisions should only be taken when a consensus is reached rather by majority vote. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Zaid, former irrigation minister and head of the Arab Water Council (AWC), said the AWC has developed proposals to end the current crisis. He refused to give any further details, saying they will present the proposals to the government if officially requested to do so. In statements to the press yesterday, Zaid said the AWC is ready to provide its expertise to help Egypt and Sudan in their negotiations with the Nile Basin countries, taking into consideration the two countries' historical rights and the current possible alternatives. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
