After a humiliating defeat at the United Nations Security Council last July, Egypt and its accomplices once again are trying to internationalize the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam by bringing it to the world peace and security organ.
Serving as a Trojan horse for Cairo, Tunisia has been trying to give the GERD issue global and political faces. It recently vowed that it would bring the issue before the Security Council. It wrongfully characterized GERD as a security issue for the entire Arab League. The country claimed that water security is part and parcel of the Arab region’s security and expressed support to Egypt and Sudan.
Tunisia is demanding that Ethiopia sign a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation policies of the GERD. The proposal also tends to dissuade Ethiopia from proceeding with filling the dam without reaching a legal deal with the downstream countries.
The UNSC adopted a draft presidential statement last week encouraging Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt “to resume negotiations” under the auspices of the African Union to swiftly conclude a deal on Ethiopia’s controversial mega-dam on the Nile.
On a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the statement of the president of the UN Security Council on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the Ethiopian government said in an unprecedented manner, the statement is released nine weeks after the open meeting of the UNSC on the GERD.
The press release highlights that Ethiopia welcomes council members for directing the matter to the African Union-led trilateral negotiation. Nonetheless, it is regrettable that the Council pronounces itself over an issue of water rights and development that is outside of its mandate.
Tunisia’s historic misstep in advancing the Council’s pronouncement undermines its solemn responsibility as a rotating member of the UNSC on an African seat. Ethiopia commends those Council members that played a part in rectifying breaches against the integrity of the working method of the Council in processing the statement.
The statement went on to say transboundary water resources provide an opportunity for realizing the common good and regional cooperation. Ethiopia’s stance over the Nile is just and aspires to realize its lawful right and to build amity between peoples of the riparian countries. Ethiopia believes the time is now for the Nile Basin countries to brace for and foster basin-wide cooperation.
Taye Atske, Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the UN, claimed on his Twitter account that the UNSC’s presidential statement affirms that the council views the GERD file as a “water rights and water development issue.”
Egypt and Sudan will be ready for a “rule-based order on the Nile Basin, whereby each of the 11 riparian countries will utilize their share from the resource,” Atske said
Previously, the downstream countries have taken the case of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) more than a few times to the UN Security Council and the United States of America treating with contempt the notion of African solution to African problems.
As Ethiopia does not want the interference of other bodies in its internal affairs except the African Union, it was rebuffing the involvement of the UN quite a lot of times in multifarious ways. However, in the fullness of time, the UN decided the case to be seen under the auspicious of the African Union despite it is not its mandate.
Ethiopia has been at loggerheads with Sudan and Egypt over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Notwithstanding the fact that 86% of the Nile waters originate from Ethiopia, the downstream nations were unremittingly disassociating themselves from circumstances on the ground and throwing a wet blanket over the endeavors of Ethiopia.
As the downstream nations do not have a wee drop of interest to bite the bullet, they every now and then get their hands on fabricated stories with the intention of mystifying the international community. Despondently, Egypt has never made an effort to get to the bottom of the problem to this point.
As far as this, Egypt has never attempted to resolve predicaments related to the Nile River in a peaceful environment. To the surprise of everyone, instead of straightening out the disagreement calmly, Egypt moves heaven and earth with the intention of striking at the foundations of Ethiopia putting to use a diverse range of hidden influences and subjects.
As the downstream nations do not want the dam to see the light of the day, they come up with quite a lot of whys and wherefores.
Similarly, the downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt say mostly undesirable belongings about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
They shut their eyes to the fact that the dam restrains flooding risks without a shred of a doubt. It is crystal clear that Sudan stumbles upon flooding risks twelve-monthly putting millions of lives in jeopardy.
Sad it might sound, the downstream nations do not have to put aside the fact that there are considerable amounts of windows of opportunities over the Nile River if they work in unison. They know like the palm of their hands the fact that Ethiopia believes in equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile River.
For many, if more dams are built in upstream nations, Sudan’s possibility of flooding could decrease without any doubt.
In spite of the efforts of the downstream countries to internationalize and politicize the GERD issue, Ethiopia remains committed to resolving the issue in Africa’s framework. To create a common understanding, the country has been engaging diplomatically with the Nile basin countries and other African nations.
According to information obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen recently held talks with Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of DRC. The discussion between the two sides focused on the continuation of the tripartite negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which has been held under the leadership of the African Union.
On the occasion, Demeke, expressed his appreciation for the positive role played by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, affirmed Ethiopia’s determination to continue the tripartite talks at any given time.
The Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign affairs expressed Ethiopia’s strong desire for equitable and reasonable water use, noting that the Nile Basin should be a source of cooperation than conflict.
“The previous trilateral negotiations had yielded tangible results, adding that it would be possible to narrow the differences between the three countries by resuming the negotiation as soon as possible,” he added.
Christophe Lutundula, for his part, expressed his delight over the peacefully concluded national elections in Ethiopia and lauded Ethiopia’s commitment to continue participating in the GERD talks. The Democratic Republic of Congo strongly believes in the principle of “African solution to Africa’s problems” which should guide the Renaissance Dam talks that could start shortly.
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
ETHIOPIAN HERALD 22 SEPTEMBER 2021
