(Daniel Berhane)
[Updated with More quotes from Pres. Morsi speech at the bottom]
Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi provided today yet another evidence that his government is unable to depart from populist positions and respect norms of international relations applied by responsible nations.
Reuters reported half an hour ago that:
President Mohamed Mursi said on Monday he would keep “all options” open to defend Egypt’s water supply from being affected by a giant new dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile but he added that Cairo did not want war.
In a televised speech to Islamist supporters in Cairo, Mursi used emotive language to underline the importance of the Nile waters to Egypt: “We are not advocates of war, but we will never permit our water security … to be threatened,” he said.
However, it appears the international public opinion is against Egypt’s belligerency.
The English daily of Dubai, GulfNews, published an Op-Ed titled “Egypt wrong in its rhetoric over Nile”. The Op-Ed reads:
Even though the River Nile does not belong to Egypt alone, some of its leaders seem to believe that it does and that they can act accordingly. They are wrong,
In brazen disregard for international convention and law, some Egyptian politicians reportedly recommended the country back rebels and engage in sabotage in Ethiopia to prevent it from building a dam on the Nile.
The hydroelectric dam will be the largest in Africa and export power to the rest of the continent, which is desperately short of electricity. The dam is not expected to significantly impact Egypt’s water supply once it is in operation. And, Ethiopia has every right to use its natural resources for the development of the country and its neighbours. It would be easy to dismiss the proposals that were raised in a meeting with Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi, as the ravings of the fringe, except for the worrying reaction of the president and his aides. Rather than clearly condemning the proposals and rhetoric, an aide to Mursi simply apologised to the political leaders for not warning them that their meeting was being broadcast on television.
Mursi merely limited himself to saying the Egypt will not engage in aggressive acts against Ethiopia. And, his office warned that “Egypt will never surrender its rights to Nile water and all options [to safeguard it] are being considered”. Nile water is a vital resource for Egypt and any legitimate concerns must be addressed, with due respect to the sovereignty and needs of Ethiopia.
If Egypt engages in any underhand activity to destabilise Ethiopia, it may face opposition from the international community – something it cannot afford given its shaky economy and political instability.
Egypt must publicly commit itself to addressing its concerns through the legal means. East Africa is a volatile region that cannot afford reckless threats.
A leading Kenyan outlet, The Star, lamented relayed a similar message in an Op-Ed titled “Egypt should end hardline over Nile”. The-Star wrote:
Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia are at their highest in recent decades.Egypt is unhappy that Ethiopia is building a dam, dubbed the Grand Rennaisance Dam, on the Blue Nile River.
Leaders in the land of Pharoa are again invoking ‘historical rights’ to the Nile guaranteed by two treaties from 1929 and 1959 which allow it 87 percent of the river’s flow and give it powers to veto projects upstream.
Egypt needs to let go of this hardline stance and embrace dialogue with all the riparian states along the Blue and White Nile.
Other countries believe the treaties signed by colonial governments were unfair, as they too have a right to utilize the waters for electricity generation and irrigation.
Nile Basin countries signed a new deal in 2010 allowing them to work on projects involving the river without first seeking approval from Cairo.
While it is a fact that Egypt wholly depends on the Nile for its survival -its leadership last week said it was a matter of national security- it should be willing to accommodate the needs of other state.
As Ethiopia begins diverting the Blue Nile some 500 meters from its natural course, there is need to reopen dialogue on the future utilization of the river.
The solution is to reach an agreement that works in favour of all states and does not harm or hinder any of them.
In the past week, both the United States and United Kingdom governments advised Egypt to solve the matter amicably and through negotiations – the only feasible venue any way.
It is not clear how long Egypt will stick to its outdated belligerent rhetoric that proved unable to stop the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam project which is now more 21% complete.
It is to be recalled that the International Panel of Experts on the Renaissance dam, which was established as a good will gesture by Ethiopia to assure the Egyptians, presented its final report last month.
The Panel – consisting Ethiopian, Sudanese, Egyptian and other renowned international experts – concluded the dam poses no significant harm on downstream countries. Ethiopia and Sudan immediately accepted the report, while Egypt chose to nitpick the findings in an apparent inability to depart from her old chauvinist rhetoric and domestic political consumption.
An accidentally aired meeting of the Egyptian President and major political parties on the matter, last week, displayed Cairo’s heavy-weight politicians plotting sabotage on the dam and on the domestic security of Ethiopia as well as direct military attacks.
Spokesperson of the Ethiopian Prime Minister snubbed the televised meeting “day-dreaming”, while the Foreign Ministry summoned Egypt’s Ambassador demanding an official explanation.
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Update: (More quotes from Pres. Morsi speech)
Daily News Egypt reported today (June 11) that:
“If our share of Nile water decreases, our blood will be the alternative” said President Mohamed Morsi in his speech at the Popular Conference on Egypt’s Rights to Nile Water on Monday…..
“Since May 2011 Egypt has been a part of an international panel of experts (IPoE) formed to study and assess the potential effects of the [Renaissance dam] on both downstream countries Egypt and Sudan,” Morsi said…….“Egypt conducted parallel technical studies with the help of international experts; the studies showed the dam had potentially negative effects on Egypt if it was constructed according to the current Ethiopian model,” he added……
The president added that Ethiopia and Sudan were Egypt’s sisterly nations. “We love Africa and its entire people.” The past two years witnessed clear progress in Egypt’s relations with Nile Basin countries, especially Ethiopia……In his speech, the president also stressed that all options are open when it comes to threats to Egypt’s share of the Nile. “The greatness of the Egyptian people lies in their unity in times of crisis… I urge [the Egyptian people] to offer advice and opinions on the issue even if I disagree with some of them.”
The conference was organised by predominantly Islamist and Salafi parties, including the Freedom and Justice, Al-Nour, Al-Wasat, Building and Development, Labour, Al-Watan, Al-Asala, Al-Fadila and Al-Shaab parties, among others.
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