RIYADH and ADDIS ABABA: Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Bilateral Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Jandan has dismissed statements made criticizing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In a discussion with Ethiopian diplomats in Riyadh, Dr. Khalid said statements made against the GERD were not the policy of his government. Citing the historic relations of the two countries, going back to the First Hijira when Ethiopia gave refuge to the family of the Prophet and his followers, Dr. Khalid denied recent media reports suggesting statements made against Ethiopia and the GERD might affect relations between the two countries. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 1st issued a statement on its website which strongly affirmed Saudi Arabia's close relationship with Ethiopia. The statement emphasized relations with Ethiopia are based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs and work to promote common interests in the service of both governments and their peoples. The Ministry said any statements suggesting the contrary do not reflect the official stance of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ethiopia has demanded that Saudi Arabia explain itself after a minister attacked the country over its massive Renaissance Nile River dam project, saying that the water rights of Sudan and Egypt would be threatened with its completion. “The Renaissance dam has its capacity of flood waters reaching more than 70 billion cubic meters of water, and is located at an altitude of 700 meters and if it collapsed then Khartoum will drown completely and the impact will even reach the Aswan Dam," the Saudi Deputy Defense Minister, Khalid Bin Sultan said at the meetings of the Arab Water Council in Cairo last month. The $4.8 billion Renaissance Dam is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2015. The Saudi official further accused Ethiopia of being keen on harming Arab nations. “There are fingers messing with water resources of Sudan and Egypt, which are rooted in the mind and body of Ethiopia. They do not forsake an opportunity to harm Arabs without taking advantage of it," Prince Khalid said. “The establishment of the dam leads to the transfer of water supply from the front of Lake Nasser to the Ethiopian plateau, which means full Ethiopian control of every drop of water, as well as [causing] an environmental imbalance stirring seismic activity in the region as a result of the massive water weight laden with silt withheld in front of the dam, estimated by experts at more than 63 billion tonnes," he added. Ethiopian foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Dina Mufti said the accusation was “unexpected and shocking." The dam project has seen widespread concerns from Egypt and Sudan, who have echoed the Saudi official's sentiments over the project, which they see as an infringement on their historical rights to Nile water. The dam could threaten the regional stability after the Egyptian government said it remained “concerned" over Ethiopia's actions along the Nile River. BN
