Egypt, France airdrop aid to Gaza amid growing humanitarian crisis, global criticism of Israel    Supply minister discusses strengthening cooperation with ITFC    Egypt launches initiative with traders, manufacturers to reduce prices of essential goods    SCZONE chief discusses strengthening maritime, logistics cooperation with Panama    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Egypt reviews health insurance funding mechanism to ensure long-term sustainability    Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall    Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland    Egyptian president follows up on initiatives to counter extremist thought    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    58 days that exposed IMF's contradictions on Egypt    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ethiopia rejects international mediation in GERD deadlock, historic treaties on Nile waters
Both Egypt, Sudan announce their intention to resort to UN Security Council to resolve GERD disagreement
Published in Daily News Egypt on 27 - 04 - 2021

Threats made by downstream countries regarding Ethiopia's Blue Nile dam are "useless", according to Dina Mufti, Spokesperson for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mufti's comments were directed at Egypt and Sudan, who have expressed displeasure over the controversial dam.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Mufti accused the two downstream countries of not wanting the African Union (AU) to succeed in ending negotiations on the disputed points regarding filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
He claimed that both Egypt and Sudan were prolonging the negotiations during the last period, as "they left the talks nine times".
Early in April, Egypt officially announced the failure of the latest round of negotiations on the Ethiopian dam, which were held in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, on 4-5 April.
Both Egypt and Sudan announced their intention to resort to the UN Security Council to help resolve the issue. The move is aimed at preventing Ethiopia from taking any unilateral actions that may cause harm to the downstream countries.
Regarding the historic Nile water agreements, including the 1929 agreement between Egypt and Britain, Mufti said that they are "unacceptable and unreasonable".
The 1929 agreement stipulates that no works should be established on the river without prior agreement with Egypt.
Despite the Ethiopian side pushing the colonialism debate, Egypt's historic right in River Nile waters is based on the agreement signed in 1902 between Great Britain and an independent Ethiopia under Emperor Menelik II.
Under this agreement, Ethiopia vowed not to construct, or allow the construction of, any work across the Blue Nile, Lake Tsana, or the Sobat which would arrest the flow of their waters into the River Nile. The exception to this would be if there were agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
Egypt also relies on the 1993 agreement, called the "Framework for general cooperation between Egypt and Ethiopia". This highlights the need to address the use of River Nile waters in detail by experts from both countries based on international law.
"Each party shall refrain from engaging in any activity related to the Nile waters that may cause appreciable harm to the interest of the other side," according to Article 5 in the 1993 agreement.
Ethiopia ignores the 1902 and the 1993 agreements, as well as the 2015 Declaration of Principles. Instead, it only refers to the 1929 agreement between Egypt and Great Britain. Addis Ababa argues that these agreements are "invalid" and "unfair".
On 19 April, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called upon the AU to host a meeting with the three parties involved in the GERD negotiations, to break the deadlock.
In a letter to Sudan's Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk, Ahmed said that the way forward on the GERD negotiations is to request that AU and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi hold a meeting of the AU's Assembly Bureau.
He added that his country "believes that the Assembly should reinitiate the direction given to the tripartite last year in July during South Africa's chairmanship, to finalise the text of the guidelines and rules on the first filing and annual operation of the GERD, and then to report back to the Bureau of the Assembly".
According to the Ethiopian remarks, Addis Ababa still refuses to involve international parties in the talks. Ethiopia previously rejected the mediation of parties outside the AU in negotiations, as Sudan proposed an international quartet, including the UN, the EU, the US, and the AU.


Clic here to read the story from its source.