ADDIS ABAB – Egyptian leadership lacks commitment in dealing with the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with respect to revealing the truth to their people, senior experts said.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Birhanu Belachew, lecturer at Kotebe Metropolitan University said that though Nile is shared among riparian countries, Egypt aspires to sustain colonial era agreement and control over the waters of Abbay (Blue Nile).
According to him, Egypt asserts ‘Historical Water Rights’ that keeps on impasse the regional cooperation among the riparian. Furthermore, it has been engaged in many divers clouting upper riparian’s to remain unstable and conducting immense activities through regional and international organization not to support any project on Nile.
Most of the leadership and media houses are also preaching and propagating white lies as if Ethiopia is constructing the dam just to harm Egypt, he added.
The leadership and the media houses should swallow the bitter pill and come out to tell the fact that Nile is the gift for all the Nile riparian countries, not Egypt’s sole resource.
“Egypt wants to trade the Ethiopian clear principled intentions to own political interests.”
Egypt is keeping on blocking all institutions that were on establishment to ensure fair water share. At the same time, it has been freezing technical negotiations and mediations efforts staged, he noted.
As to him, the real way out is facing the facts on the ground, accept the win-win diplomacy and cooperation among riparian, instead of shifting the blame.
“If we consider some data for instance Egypt had ensured food security and reached 100 percent electric access to the citizens. On the contrary, more than 65 million Ethiopians have no access to electricity.”
Though Ethiopia is the source of 86 percent of the Nile waters, it uses only one percent whereas Egypt takes the lion’s share. Ethiopia has not yet ensured its people food security Thus, developing its water resource to detach its people from poverty is sensible.”
The nation is though known as the water tower of Africa, ironically, it is the epicenter of famines. This fact should be pronounced to the Egyptians brothers.
The general public of Egypt should be informed about Nile related facts as the present Nile basin conflict reflects radical changing context in the way the waters should be managed and shared by all riparian countries, Birhanu underscored.
While speaking to media, Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) General Manager, Fekiahmed Negash also said that Ethiopia cannot wait for any country’s approval to fill the GERD as Egypt did not, while filling Aswan.
According to him, Ethiopia has been emphasizing to cause no significant harm on Egypt and the Sudan, while adhering to its right to construct the dam on its territory for development purposes. It has also expressed its willingness to negotiate with Egypt on any controversial issues.
The Ethiopian Herald May 27, 2020
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
