CAIRO: And they’re off. Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) ministers are once again meeting in an effort to end nearly two years of stalemate that has seen little accomplished. Much of the movement nowhere is largely due to Egypt’s refusal to renegotiate a treaty that currently gives them the lion’s share of water coming from the world’s largest river. The two-day summit at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh is the latest attempt by the 9-nation group to establish a new set of regulations over water-sharing in order for the upstream nations to have larger access to jump start projects along the Nile’s shores. Most of the ministers are doubtful much can be achieved during the two-day meeting, but they remain hopeful, as does the NBI’s leadership. Last month they met in Uganda. In December it was Tanzania and before that, Alexandria. The results were the same: nothing. This time around, it appears to be more of the same, after Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasr el-Din Allam told reporters Egypt would not budge from what other member states argue are archaic agreements made by colonizing powers. “The Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement must clearly recognize Egypt and Sudan’s historic share of Nile water,†Allam told reporters last weekend. Making matters more worrisome for the upstream nations, Allam said “Egypt will not sign any deal before its conditions are met,†adding that Cairo’s “requirements include the commitment to the early notification mechanism before constructing any projects in upstream countries and that all decisions are to be finalized unanimously, not through majority voting.†This means Egypt and Sudan could veto any and all projects along the Nile if their wishes are met. Until a 1959 agreement with Sudan was inked, Egypt was guaranteed 48 billion cubic meters of water, in accordance with a British-sponsored treaty while they ruled the country. Following the 1959 deal, this was increased to 55.5 billion cubic meters, while Sudan is allotted 14.5 billion cubic meters. Cairo has refused to sign onto any convention without assurances by other members that the country would not lose the 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water they are allowed to use and demanded a veto power over any projects implemented upstream in southern Nile nations. The ministers at the Alexandria conference said they would give it six months before reconvening to discuss new possibilities to a water-sharing agreement. The hope is the 9 nations can agree to a new treaty that establishes a new foundation for the use of the Nile River. The NBI was established in 1999 by the water ministers of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to “achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources.†Eritrea, which is home to a small portion of the basin and led a war against Ethiopia from 1998 through 2000, is not an active participate in the initiative. According to the official website, the NBI seeks to “develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits and promote regional peace and security. Cooperative water resources management is complex in any international river basin. In the Nile Basin, which is characterized by water scarcity, poverty, a long history of dispute and insecurity and rapidly growing populations and demand for water.†The NBI’s main supporter is the World Bank. The NBI’s other 7 nations, excluding Egypt and Sudan, want to establish a commission that would change water consumption among the basin nations, but Egypt’s ministry of water and irrigation have other ideas. Now, more than 6 months on from the Alexandria conference, an agreement seems as elusive as ever for the other 7 nations. Once hailed as geo-partnership that could be emulated across the globe, the NBI has turned into an organization that must figure out its differences before it can move forward. BM
