HAS the recent revolution restored Egypt's position and good ties with the rest of the world, especially the Arab and African states? It is astonishing that easy solutions have been reached to certain very serious problems, such as the Palestinian division and differences with other Nile Basin countries over Egypt's quota of the river's waters. A friendly delegation sent to Ethiopia was enough to convince Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to postpone endorsing the Nile Basin treaty, until Egypt has a new parliament and president. We never imagined this would happen, especially as Ethiopia was the mastermind behind the treaty, designed to cut Egypt's quota of water and end its veto right on new projects on the river in the upstream countries. Zenawi himself challenged Mubarak's regime and insisted on going ahead with his plans by provoking other Nile Basin countries into signing the treaty. He even announced the creation of a high dam, the Millennium Dam, on the Blue Nile. This project is sorely needed to boost his popularity and to create a giant hydroelectric project to help his country develop. The Ethiopian Premier has shown the blueprints to Egypt and Sudan so that they can decide whether it will harm them. Meanwhile, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has announced that he'll be visiting Ethiopia on May 13, to strengthen bilateral relations and help end a dispute that threatens Egypt's interests and position in Africa. He will also visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. This revolution has been miraculous for Egypt and the Egyptians. It is clear that the problems with African and regional files were due to the unwise policies followed by the former president and his governments. The ball is now in Sharaf's court; he must convince Ethiopia and the other African countries that their relations with Egypt will be based on their mutual interests and welfare.
