Back to African roots
05 May, 2011 | Doaa El-Bey (Al-Ahram Weekly)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In its visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, a 48- member
delegation succeeded in thawing frozen Egyptian-Ethiopian relations
and avoiding a conflict over the Nile water that could have had drastic
effects on both countries.
The visit delivered a message to the Ethiopian government that Egypt
welcomes any progress in Ethiopia provided it does not affect Egypt's
water quota, said Mohamed Abul-Ghar, a professor of gynaecology
and obstetrics at Cairo University and one of the delegation members.
"We postponed the ratification of the agreement in addition to getting
some information about the dam to be built," he added.
At the end of the four-day visit, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi announced that his country would postpone signing the Nile
Basin agreement until Egypt elects a new parliament and president. He
also agreed to form a committee of Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese
experts to look into the Millennium Dam project.
"It was such an emotional moment when Zenawi declared the
postponement. Many members of the delegations cried," El-Guindi
told Al-Ahram Weekly after his return.
Although Zenawi repeatedly expressed his belief that the dam would
not be of any harm to Egypt and other neighbouring countries, he
agreed to wait until the project is further examined by a committee in
which both Egypt and Sudan are represented. The 180-degree
change in the Ethiopian stand, El-Guindi explained, indicated that they
had decided to open a new page of cooperation with Cairo.
In order to reach that end, both sides tried to stress points of
agreement and possible cooperation in the future in the interest of both
states. The delegation members repeated that Ethiopia is entitled to a
fair share of the Nile. They also expressed their belief that Ethiopia
would not act in a manner that harms the Egyptian people whose
livelihood is dependent on Nile waters. Members of the youth
coalition who were represented in the delegation said that the majority
of the youths who participated in the revolution which overthrew
Hosni Mubarak support Ethiopia's right to develop and exploit the
river. Ethiopian officials expressed their understanding that the Nile is
the basis of the lives of Egyptians and is essential to Egypt's
development. Both sides appeared to agree on the importance of
finding new dimensions for cooperation on the use of the Nile.
The delegation met several Ethiopian officials, including Zenawi,
Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and religious leaders.
It also met President Girma Woldegiorgis, Abadula Gemeda,
spokesperson of the House of Peoples' representatives and Kassa
Tekleberhan, spokesperson of the House of Federation.
The delegation comprised three presidential candidates,
representatives from various political parties and movements,
independent politicians, previous members of parliament, journalists,
public figures and representatives from youth groups that launched the
25 January Revolution.
The disparity of the delegation members helped the negotiations to a
great extent. "Politicians helped when we met with officials, university
professors helped in our visit to the university and the youths gave the
delegation a special flavour," Abul-Ghar said.
"The popular facet of the delegation was shown during our visit to the
cathedral when members of the delegation chanted with Ethiopian
worshippers after the mass: "Egypt and Ethiopia, one hand," Abul-
Ghar elaborated.
The delegation, which concluded its visit on Monday, was named the
"Egyptian People's Diplomatic Delegation". The warm welcome in
Addis Ababa indicated a governmental will to improve relations,
according to Abul-Ghar.
The visit came after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf met Ethiopia's
ambassador to Egypt, during which both sides emphasised their
willingness to turn a new page and resolve the Nile Basin saga. Sharaf
is also scheduled to visit Ethiopia by the end of next week to hold
further discussions on the issue with Ethiopian officials.
Tension erupted between Egypt and Sudan on the one hand and
Ethiopia and the other Nile Basin states on the other when they failed
to reach an agreement on the fair distribution of Nile waters. Failure to
reach an agreement prompted Ethiopia, along with Uganda, Tanzania,
Rwanda and Kenya, to sign a new pact in the Ugandan capital
Entebbe in May last year. The five signatories gave the other Nile
Basin countries one year to join the pact before putting it into action.
Sudan and Egypt dismissed the new deal while the Congo and
Burundi initially refused to sign; Burundi later signed. The agreement
cannot be put into action until at least six states sign it.
The new pact is supposed to substitute the 1929 agreement between
Egypt and Great Britain on behalf of Britain's colonies which gave
Egypt the right to most of the more than 100 billion cubic metres of
water that reaches the downstream countries annually. It also gave it
the right to veto any new projects or dams to be built by the other
Nile states.
Tension further flared when Ethiopia announced it plans to build the
Millennium Dam, a hydroelectric power dam along the Blue Nile
River, despite objections from Egypt and Sudan. Egyptian fear
emanates from the fact that a huge dam on the Nile will in all
likelihood influence the flow of water volume to Egypt, which depends
on the river for 90 per cent of its needs.
The relations deteriorated to such an extent that many, including
Ethiopian opposition leaders, feared military action by Egypt.
Popular diplomacy managed to resolve the conflict and ease the
tension.
The same delegation visited the Ugandan city Entebbe last month to
discuss the Nile with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and other
officials.
The purpose of that visit, the first of its kind, was to present the
Egyptian people's view on the distribution of the Nile water. It called
for the preservation of Egypt's historical water rights and a fresh start
to the relationship between the two countries following the 25 January
Revolution.
After the visit, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said his
country would conduct a review of the agreement it signed with the
other Nile Basin states in May last year.
The delegation plans to pay a visit to the Nuba area on the Egyptian
Sudanese borders to resolve the decades- long plight of the people
living there. Another visit, El-Guindi said, would be to the US and
France in order to write off Egyptian debts. No date has been set for
the two visits.
The delegation's visits to Ethiopia and Tanzania helped restore good
relations between Egypt and the African countries, or return Egypt to
its African roots, as El-Guindi put it. However, more hard work is
needed to further improve the ties.
Courtesy
05 May, 2011 | Doaa El-Bey (Al-Ahram Weekly)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In its visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, a 48- member
delegation succeeded in thawing frozen Egyptian-Ethiopian relations
and avoiding a conflict over the Nile water that could have had drastic
effects on both countries.
- "The visit was a
success. We
succeeded in what
official diplomacy failed
in," said Mustafa El-
Guindi, the head and
general coordinator of
the delegation.
"Popular diplomacy
managed to discuss
and resolve an issue
The visit delivered a message to the Ethiopian government that Egypt
welcomes any progress in Ethiopia provided it does not affect Egypt's
water quota, said Mohamed Abul-Ghar, a professor of gynaecology
and obstetrics at Cairo University and one of the delegation members.
"We postponed the ratification of the agreement in addition to getting
some information about the dam to be built," he added.
At the end of the four-day visit, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi announced that his country would postpone signing the Nile
Basin agreement until Egypt elects a new parliament and president. He
also agreed to form a committee of Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese
experts to look into the Millennium Dam project.
"It was such an emotional moment when Zenawi declared the
postponement. Many members of the delegations cried," El-Guindi
told Al-Ahram Weekly after his return.
Although Zenawi repeatedly expressed his belief that the dam would
not be of any harm to Egypt and other neighbouring countries, he
agreed to wait until the project is further examined by a committee in
which both Egypt and Sudan are represented. The 180-degree
change in the Ethiopian stand, El-Guindi explained, indicated that they
had decided to open a new page of cooperation with Cairo.
In order to reach that end, both sides tried to stress points of
agreement and possible cooperation in the future in the interest of both
states. The delegation members repeated that Ethiopia is entitled to a
fair share of the Nile. They also expressed their belief that Ethiopia
would not act in a manner that harms the Egyptian people whose
livelihood is dependent on Nile waters. Members of the youth
coalition who were represented in the delegation said that the majority
of the youths who participated in the revolution which overthrew
Hosni Mubarak support Ethiopia's right to develop and exploit the
river. Ethiopian officials expressed their understanding that the Nile is
the basis of the lives of Egyptians and is essential to Egypt's
development. Both sides appeared to agree on the importance of
finding new dimensions for cooperation on the use of the Nile.
The delegation met several Ethiopian officials, including Zenawi,
Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and religious leaders.
It also met President Girma Woldegiorgis, Abadula Gemeda,
spokesperson of the House of Peoples' representatives and Kassa
Tekleberhan, spokesperson of the House of Federation.
The delegation comprised three presidential candidates,
representatives from various political parties and movements,
independent politicians, previous members of parliament, journalists,
public figures and representatives from youth groups that launched the
25 January Revolution.
The disparity of the delegation members helped the negotiations to a
great extent. "Politicians helped when we met with officials, university
professors helped in our visit to the university and the youths gave the
delegation a special flavour," Abul-Ghar said.
"The popular facet of the delegation was shown during our visit to the
cathedral when members of the delegation chanted with Ethiopian
worshippers after the mass: "Egypt and Ethiopia, one hand," Abul-
Ghar elaborated.
The delegation, which concluded its visit on Monday, was named the
"Egyptian People's Diplomatic Delegation". The warm welcome in
Addis Ababa indicated a governmental will to improve relations,
according to Abul-Ghar.
The visit came after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf met Ethiopia's
ambassador to Egypt, during which both sides emphasised their
willingness to turn a new page and resolve the Nile Basin saga. Sharaf
is also scheduled to visit Ethiopia by the end of next week to hold
further discussions on the issue with Ethiopian officials.
Tension erupted between Egypt and Sudan on the one hand and
Ethiopia and the other Nile Basin states on the other when they failed
to reach an agreement on the fair distribution of Nile waters. Failure to
reach an agreement prompted Ethiopia, along with Uganda, Tanzania,
Rwanda and Kenya, to sign a new pact in the Ugandan capital
Entebbe in May last year. The five signatories gave the other Nile
Basin countries one year to join the pact before putting it into action.
Sudan and Egypt dismissed the new deal while the Congo and
Burundi initially refused to sign; Burundi later signed. The agreement
cannot be put into action until at least six states sign it.
The new pact is supposed to substitute the 1929 agreement between
Egypt and Great Britain on behalf of Britain's colonies which gave
Egypt the right to most of the more than 100 billion cubic metres of
water that reaches the downstream countries annually. It also gave it
the right to veto any new projects or dams to be built by the other
Nile states.
Tension further flared when Ethiopia announced it plans to build the
Millennium Dam, a hydroelectric power dam along the Blue Nile
River, despite objections from Egypt and Sudan. Egyptian fear
emanates from the fact that a huge dam on the Nile will in all
likelihood influence the flow of water volume to Egypt, which depends
on the river for 90 per cent of its needs.
The relations deteriorated to such an extent that many, including
Ethiopian opposition leaders, feared military action by Egypt.
Popular diplomacy managed to resolve the conflict and ease the
tension.
The same delegation visited the Ugandan city Entebbe last month to
discuss the Nile with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and other
officials.
The purpose of that visit, the first of its kind, was to present the
Egyptian people's view on the distribution of the Nile water. It called
for the preservation of Egypt's historical water rights and a fresh start
to the relationship between the two countries following the 25 January
Revolution.
After the visit, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said his
country would conduct a review of the agreement it signed with the
other Nile Basin states in May last year.
The delegation plans to pay a visit to the Nuba area on the Egyptian
Sudanese borders to resolve the decades- long plight of the people
living there. Another visit, El-Guindi said, would be to the US and
France in order to write off Egyptian debts. No date has been set for
the two visits.
The delegation's visits to Ethiopia and Tanzania helped restore good
relations between Egypt and the African countries, or return Egypt to
its African roots, as El-Guindi put it. However, more hard work is
needed to further improve the ties.
Courtesy
| All rights reserved. |
| Ethio Quest News Together We Can Make It! |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Previous Stories The Nile River: Least developed of all Major international rivers Keffyalew Gebremedhin Nile treaty set for ratification By Ben Simon (AFP) NO AGREEMENT ON WATER SHARING AT NILE COM MEETINGS WikiLeaks Sudan: Storm Over the Nile By Eric Margolis On The Brawl Over The Nile Waters Seid Hassan Egypt’s takeover of Sudan’s Gezira scheme By Professor Ali Abdalla Ali Ethiopia’s Internal Cohesion Key to Advancing Interest in the Nile Jawar Mohammed EXCLUSIVE: Egypt requested delay for Sudan referendum, according to new WikiLeaks cable By Lina Attalah As water needs increase, so does tension in the Nile Basin states By JOSEPH NGOME Ethiopia Says It Has Evidence That Egypt Supported Rebel Movements By William Davison (Bloomberg) Egypt's Mubarak dismisses Ethiopia rebel claim Reuters |
| Ethiopia Freezes Nile Water Treaty in Sign of Thaw With Egypt Peter Heinlein (VOA) Egypt eases demands on Ethiopia Renaissance Dam By Davide Morandini (BIKYA MASR) Egypt must change attitude over Nile water By Joseph Mayton (BIKYA MASR) Egypt: Military prepares as major dispute threatens to rock region By Aaron Klein (WND) Ethiopia: Opposition Supports Ruling Party on Millennium Dam By Samson Haileyesus (Addis Fortune) Ethiopia Offers Olive Branch in Nile Water Sharing Dispute By Peter Heinlein (VOA) Ethiopia to defy Egypt and build huge Nile dam By Barry Malone (Reuters) Egypt's prime minister, seeking a Nile River ally, visits Southern Sudan, offers aid projects By The Associated Press |
| Related Stories |
| Ethio Quest News: For latest Ethiopian News, views, Reviews and More |
| Ethiopians want more from sacred Nile waters By Aaron Maasho "Here in the shadow of Mount Gish, the spring water that forms the Blue Nile is believed to have healing powers, but Ethiopians say that is the only benefit...More |
| Energy and Security Issues in the Red Sea Transforming as "the Age of Gas" Begins in Earnest By Michael Bagley |
| A 48-member Egyptian delegation arrives at Bole International Airport 29 April, 2011 |