Egypt eases demands on Ethiopia
Renaissance Dam
23 April, 2011 | By Davide Morandini (BIKYA MASR)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
around the renegotiation of Nile water sharing sanctioned by colonial
agreements.
“We shouldn’t look back to the past,” said Ghoneim, adding that
renegotiating the allocation of Nile waters and raising transparency in
the matter would be “very healthy and good” for Egypt.
“This will lead us to finding this win-win situation,” said Ghoneim,
adding that at the moment “everything is on the table.”
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently stressed
that both Egypt and Sudan could reap consistent interests from the
building of the Dam.
As flooding, salination and evaporation are at the roots of 22.5 billion
cubic meters of water being lost every year, the regulatory action of
the Renaissance Dam could reduce this loss, declared Hailermariam.
Scientific overviews have been conducted by the US Department of
Bureau of Reclamation in 1974, and recently by a committee
endorsed by Egypt itself, in 2008 and 2010. According to these last
surveys, Egypt and Sudan could greatly benefit from the Dam’s
energy production.
Ghoneim’s relaxing declarations came after Hailermariam declared
that Ethiopia would not allow Egyptian authorities to examine the site
of the Dam, were Egypt not to relinquish its veto power over the re-
shuffling of water allocation shares between Nile countries.
Tension arose in the last month between Egypt, Sudan and upstream
countries.
Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda agreed
upon the renegotiation of the 1929 colonial agreement that allocates
55.5 billion cubic meters a year to Egypt, out of a total flow of around
84 billion cubic meters.
Despite this fact, 85 percent of the water originates in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian public opinion considers new and fairer shares of water, as
well as the construction of the Renaissance Dam as important steps
towards the development of the country, and as a partial liberation
from Egyptian encroachment on Internal Affairs.
“People donated their money and bought the bonds that the Ethiopian
government made available to them in order to enhance this project,”
writes Molla Mitiku of the Walta Information Centre.
Ethiopia says it will be forced to finance the dam this way as Egypt
exercised pressure on donor countries and international lenders in
order to divert possible funding for the project.
The $4.78 billion dam this month hydroelectric plant would be the
biggest investment in the county, capable of generating 6000 MW of
electricity.
Courtesy
Renaissance Dam
23 April, 2011 | By Davide Morandini (BIKYA MASR)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
- CAIRO: Egypt is
ready to hold talks
over the construction
of the Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam, said
Egyptian Ambassador
to Ethiopia Tarek
Ghoneim. The possible
easing of Egypt’s
demands and the lifting
around the renegotiation of Nile water sharing sanctioned by colonial
agreements.
“We shouldn’t look back to the past,” said Ghoneim, adding that
renegotiating the allocation of Nile waters and raising transparency in
the matter would be “very healthy and good” for Egypt.
“This will lead us to finding this win-win situation,” said Ghoneim,
adding that at the moment “everything is on the table.”
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently stressed
that both Egypt and Sudan could reap consistent interests from the
building of the Dam.
As flooding, salination and evaporation are at the roots of 22.5 billion
cubic meters of water being lost every year, the regulatory action of
the Renaissance Dam could reduce this loss, declared Hailermariam.
Scientific overviews have been conducted by the US Department of
Bureau of Reclamation in 1974, and recently by a committee
endorsed by Egypt itself, in 2008 and 2010. According to these last
surveys, Egypt and Sudan could greatly benefit from the Dam’s
energy production.
Ghoneim’s relaxing declarations came after Hailermariam declared
that Ethiopia would not allow Egyptian authorities to examine the site
of the Dam, were Egypt not to relinquish its veto power over the re-
shuffling of water allocation shares between Nile countries.
Tension arose in the last month between Egypt, Sudan and upstream
countries.
Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda agreed
upon the renegotiation of the 1929 colonial agreement that allocates
55.5 billion cubic meters a year to Egypt, out of a total flow of around
84 billion cubic meters.
Despite this fact, 85 percent of the water originates in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian public opinion considers new and fairer shares of water, as
well as the construction of the Renaissance Dam as important steps
towards the development of the country, and as a partial liberation
from Egyptian encroachment on Internal Affairs.
“People donated their money and bought the bonds that the Ethiopian
government made available to them in order to enhance this project,”
writes Molla Mitiku of the Walta Information Centre.
Ethiopia says it will be forced to finance the dam this way as Egypt
exercised pressure on donor countries and international lenders in
order to divert possible funding for the project.
The $4.78 billion dam this month hydroelectric plant would be the
biggest investment in the county, capable of generating 6000 MW of
electricity.
Courtesy
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