CAIRO: Ethiopia has called on Nile Basin countries to implement the Nile Riparian Countries Cooperation Framework Agreement (CFA) in an effort to boost energy along the world's longest river. Head of the Nile Basin Administration Directorate at the ministry Fekahmed Negash told reporters during celebrations in the country to mark the 6th Nile Day on Wednesday that the CFA, signed by six riparian countries, would soon be implemented. High on the agenda over the last decade, the CFA would be a law for each country after it was endorsed by the respective countries' parliaments or heads of State, he added. Following this implementation, the signatories would then establish a Nile Riparian Commission aimed at being responsible for planning, implementation and provisional support for all projects along the Nile. Negash added that Ethiopia was constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in line with the CFA, despite worries from Egypt and Sudan over its erection. The director said the dam would connect neighboring countries in the region through a power connection to distribute the electricity generated. But the dam's construction has left Egypt, the recipient of the lion's share of Nile water, on edge. In recent months, as Egyptians headed to the polls, politicians and leaders have said they would not enter into any agreement that does not maintain current Egyptian water levels. Egypt and Sudan are both concerned over the historical agreements that continue to deliver them the lion's share of water from the Nile River. In late December, the two countries' water officials met in the Egyptian capital, looking to continue their hegemonic status atop Nile water. According to Egypt's state-run MENA news agency, Egypt's Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Seif el-Din Hamad and Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzoury met with Sudan's ambassador to Egypt Kamal Hassan Ali to continue to push forward on agreements concerning the Nile Basin Initiative – the mechanism by which Nile water is delineated among the member states along the world's longest river. The meeting reportedly discussed the overall situation in the countries of the Nile Basin with a focus on the outcome of the meeting earlier between the Egyptian and Sudanese delegations and the decisions taken. The encounter also touched on bilateral relations between ministries of water resources in Egypt and Sudan as well as ways to achieve cooperation between the two countries and to unify visions on pending issues of the countries of the Nile Basin. No mention of Ethiopia or negotiating with the upstream countries was mentioned, leaving many officials south of Sudan worried that Khartoum and Cairo would not enter into any discussion over future changes to water agreements. According to Minister Hamad, the Egyptian Prime Minister has directed the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation “to provide technical assistance and training to the Sudanese center for water resources and irrigation. A range of economic issues between the two countries have also been discussed especially in the fields of roads and electricity,” he added, and affirmed the “keenness of the Egyptian Government to provide required support for all economic projects between the two countries.” A tripartite committee was set up comprising experts from the countries with a view to form a mechanism to discuss and reach understanding on the issues on the table including criteria for selecting international experts. But not all is well in the Nile Basin, with other member states demanding Egypt and Sudan give up their dominance of water rights and have demanded an end to over a half-century old treaty established under British colonial rule that allows Egypt more than 80 percent of all water. In Egypt, there are worries that giving up its rights would bring about a massive water shortage in the country that could have detrimental social and political affects on the country and have not budged from amending previous agreements, angering upstream nations, especially Ethiopia, which has gone forward with plans for a massive dam along their portion of the Nile to generate electricity. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/g9Fvz Tags: Ethiopia, featured, Nile River, Water Section: East Africa, Egypt, Environment, Features, Latest News
