EGYPT SAYS NILE WATER RIGHTS ‘UNCHANGED’

Kairo, 1 Jumadil Akhir 1436/21 March 2015 (MINA) – Egypt stressed today that it has made no concessions on its share of the Nile’s water.

The announcement came days before President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi is expected to sign an agreement regarding Ethiopia’s controversial mega-dam on the Nile River.

“Egypt’s rights stated in all Nile water treaties have not been tampered with,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to three major Nile water treaties signed in 1902, 1929 and 1959 respectively, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The assertion comes ahead of a three-day tour by Al-Sisi to Ethiopia and Sudan which will begin on Monday.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti recently said that the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia will sign an agreement regarding Ethiopia’s multi-billion dollar dam project, which Egypt fears will reduce its share of the Nile water.

However, an Egyptian presidential source had told the Anadolu Agency that the deal’s signing during Al-Sisi’s visit was not yet confirmed.

Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam has been at the centre of a diplomatic row between Cairo and Addis Ababa for several months.

While Ethiopia views the multi-billion dollar dam as a prerequisite for economic development, Egypt fears the project will lead to a marked reduction in Egypt’s supply of Nile water.

A committee including ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan has convened several times in Sudan and Ethiopia to discuss the dam’s potential impact on downstream states. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)