Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan "asked if [legal frameworks] which are firm and binding in drafting are sufficient in achieving justice in
The Prince also made preposterous accusations saying that:
"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".
The Prince, who is Deputy Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and Honorary President of Arab Water Council, made the remarks at the Council’s meeting being held in Cairo, Egypt.
The full text or video of the Prince’s speech, presumably Arabic, is not yet available online. However, several English and Arabic news outlets provided highlights of the sprit of the meeting and remarks by participants.
The news from Saudi Press Agency reads in part:
In the presence of Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Honorary President of Arab Water Council, the General Assembly of the Council started its 3rd session here yesterday.
Addressing the session, the Prince pointed out that there are factors and external challenges that adversely affect the management of water resources in the Arab region, including potential conflicts on shared water due to the non-existence of joint binding agreements.
The Prince asked if legislations which are firm and binding in drafting are sufficient in achieving justice in the distribution of water resources or they must be backed by military force if necessary.
He called on the Arab Water Council to study the recommendations of the 5th Annual Conference of Arab Forum for Environment and Development to develop water plans and studies.
On the other hand, Prince Khalid bin Sultan was quoted by Sudan Tribune as saying, during the meeting, that:
"The [Grand] 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".
"Egypt is the most affected party from the Ethiopian Renaissance dam because they have no alternative water source compared to other Nile Basin countries and the establishment of the dam 12 kilometers from the Sudanese border is for political plotting rather than for economic gain and constitutes a threat to Egyptian and Sudanese national security".
"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".
"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".
Sudan Tribune also claimed:
The Saudi official added that Nile basin countries calling for reallocating Nile water shares is a "real threat" to Egypt’s future. "The information is alarming and it is important that we do not underestimate the danger at the moment and its repercussions in the future," he said.
An another Arabic media, Elfar.org, summarized the Prince’s speech as follows:
His Royal Highness Deputy Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and the honorary president of the Arab Water Council in which he stressed the role of the Arab Council in dealing with water challenges facing the Arab countries through 21 and affect negatively on water management in the Arab region, noting the need to defend rights of Arab States in waters shared with non-Arab countries, especially Arab land occupied, and deepen cooperation with United Nations specialized agencies and supportive of the Arab League in water management and improve the use and upgradation, noting that overcoming water problems can not succeed in isolation from the face of problems food, environment and energy.
Former Prime Minister of Sudan, sadiq Al-Mahadi, who was also in the meeting, remarked blaming Nile basin countries and the lack of stability in Arab countries as follows, according to Elwatanews.com: (google translation)
former Sadiq al-Mahdi Prime Minister Sudan, made sharp criticisms on the Nile Basin countries "who want to fish in troubled waters", adding that the Arab region is targeted because of its natural resources or geographical location, pointing out that the empowerment of people will succeed in stab
ilizing the region, saying: "the independence of the peoples will prevent the exploitation of these peoples, it is a war between the invaders and the extremists."
Two Egyptian officials described the general water problem of the Arabs as follows in the meeting, according to Elwatanews.com: (google translation):
Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, former President of the Council of the Arab Water and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, that many Arab countries face the challenge of water scarcity, especially with the increase in population, warning of low per capita Arab water to 500 m 3 per year, noting that some countries Arab per capita to 150 m3.
Abu Zeid added that the Arab region will need to 550 billion m3 in 2050, compared with 258 billion m 3, stressing that the time of easy water is over, demanding that citizens need to change the behaviors of their water use.
Dr. Mohamed Bahaa El Din, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, said that the most important challenges facing the water in Egypt is the natural conditions in terms of location, climate and scarce rainfall, in addition to population growth, which rise by 2.5% annual increase, along with behaviors irrational Citizens, which cause pollution of the waters of the Nile.
Bahaa El Din said that more than 18 Arab countries live below the water poverty line and selected him worldwide by 1000 m3 annually.
However, these two Egyptian officials didn’t waste time to turn the problem into a contest between Arabs and non-Arabs, as observed in the news by Elfar.org. The media summarized their statements as follows (google translation):
In his speech HE Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid that the Arab Water Council adopt to achieve a package of goals in the forefront to achieve integrated management of water resources in order to achieve water and food security in the light of the vision of a common Arab and awareness of water issues and capacity building to achieve a better understanding of the concept of integrated management of water resources Council and be a strong Arab voice unified support of water rights in the Arab state forums concerned with water issues, and underlined the need to translate the integrated management of water resources of the goal into reality the vision to work, also hinted d. Abu Zeid to many of the challenges that affect the water situation and food security, particularly political changes, economic and social as well as climate change, adding that many of the studies agreed that the Arab countries will face a large deficit in water resources in addition to low per capita Arab water to about 500 m 3 while the road in some Arab countries to 150 m 3, and in the light of Astmrartzaiv population will need the region to secure the nearly 550 m3 annually from water year 2025 to achieve food security, and concluded by emphasizing the importance of the leading role played by the Arab Water Council to raise awareness and enlightenment and education water issues.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Bahaa El Din, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation in Egypt that the natural conditions of the site and climate have made the Arab region the world’s most arid and enjoy Feminist 1% of the world’s freshwater, and the increase in population steady rate of about 2.5% annually led to increased demand for water and declining per capita annual ones, where classified 18 countries of the region under the water poverty line, including 8 Arab countries per capita of water where to 100-200 m 3 per capita per year in addition to behaviors irrational to some dealers with water, as well as to the pollution of water sources, and must address these challenges to science, good governance and good governance and adequate awareness in order to maximize the benefit of water resources, preserve and raise the efficiency of their use and prevent contamination.
***********
(We apologize for the lack of clarity in the google translation, despite efforts to that end)
Leave a Comment