EGYPT: Cairo scoffs at new Nile water agreement

Egypt, the largest user of Nile River water, has played down the importance of a new Nile Basin Cooperative Framework agreement that could limit how much water flows into the country. 

The treaty, signed Friday by Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania in the Ugandan city of Entebbe, will replace a 1959 agreement that secured Egypt its historic rights of Nile waters (55.5 billion cubic meters of water each year). Egypt and Sudan boycotted the meeting and have filed objections to the agreement.  

The new treaty comes after the collapse of negotiations between the river's source countries, including Rwanda, Ethiopia and Uganda, and the downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan, during a convention in Sharm el Sheik last month. Egypt, however, is unfazed by the new accord.

"Egypt and Sudan will not be legally committed to any agreements signed in their absence. The new treaty doesn't mean anything to both countries," Moufid Shehab, Egyptian Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, was quoted as saying by MENA news agency.

"We don't want to view it [the treaty] as a destructive act, but we never hoped this would happen because it completely goes beyond the frame of cooperation," he added.

Nile upstream countries, which also include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Kenya, have long demanded a new pact to regulate an equitable sharing of Nile waters. They also oppose Egypt's veto power on new irrigation projects in their nations, a right granted to Egypt by a colonial agreement signed with Great Britain in 1929. Such changes could reduce how much water flows into Egypt before the 4,163-mile river reaches the Mediterranean Sea.  

While the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi were not represented during Friday's accord, Kenya issued a statement of support and announced its willingness to sign the treaty as soon as possible. Egyptian experts have previously warned that jeopardizing the country's shares of Nile water could expose Egypt to a serious water crisis within the next few years.

-- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: Part of the Nile River overlooking the village of Nagaa Hammadi, south of Egypt. Credit: Agence-France Presse

Comments

[Sadula]

It is clear that the Egyptians will not have the courage to go for war with Ethiopia. They know very well the deplomatic and military moral of the Ethiopian mass. It is not the missile, jet or mortar which brings the diffrence but the moral. The Italians better tell them if they didn't learn from their past at Ethiopian battle fields.

[Aly Rifaah]

I think this is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly. The Egyptian officials try to deceive the people and hide the government failure to address such a vital issue for Egypt. Egypt should have invested in joint economic projects, and cultural and political relations with all the countries of the Nile Basin in order to secure its share of the Nile water. Instead, it left the stage to Israel to increase its influnece in the countries of the river source and threaten the mere livelihood of the Egyptian people.

The down playing of this disaster by Ahmed Nazeif proves one of two things either the man is deceiving his people or he is too stupid to understand the ramifications of the problem.

This will lead to wars intended to bleed Egypt to death and to keep it away from confrontation with Israel. I hope the Egyptian leadership will have some ethics and leave the stage for someone more responsible and more capable of leading this great cursed nation. But unfortunately, I do not think they have the minimum decency to do so

[Anthony Mwangi (Nairobi - Kenya)]

For a long time now, water as a valuable natural resource has been taken for granted by many in the world. this is due to the misplaced believe that usable water is cheap and widely available. however, as the amount of this precious commodity continuous to diminish due to the increased population pressure, many governments in the world are now waking up to the reality that there is no limitless supply of water any more.

Egypt must thank the British colonial government for having secured such a ridiculous and one sided treaty that has enabled the Egyptians to have limitless access to the Nile waters for over 80 years. however, they must also blame themselves for not having considered alternative sources of water during all this time.

Now, water just like oil has become a scarce resource and the Nile up-stream countries are demanding for their fair share of the resource. If most of this countries have to buy crude oil from the Arab countries at exorbitant prices, why cant they also be allowed to sell their water to the countries that need it down stream. the truth of the matter is that the water of river Nile originate from the catchment areas of these up-stream countries and there is an opportunity cost of ensuring that these catchment areas remain intact in order to guarantee the continued flow of the river to Egypt. Someone ought to pay for this opportunity cost.

Egypt should therefore humble itself and accept either to sign the current agreement or ask for re negotiations with the upstream countries. However, whatever the case, Egypt must accept the reality that it can no longer continue to enjoy all the water of the Nile river for free while the people in the up-stream countries languish in hunger and poverty. Threats of War will not help this time as Egypt however powerful it is militarily can not possibly win a military confrontation against seven battle hardened African Nations. it would loose the war before it even start it and eventually it may even loose the little water that it could possibly retain after renegotiation.

[Dejenie A. Lakew]

To: Politicians of Egypt & Sudan


From: Dejenie Alemayehu Lakew(PhD)



A RIGHT THAT WAS NOT A RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE

I will start my point by putting a question to you so that your answer will be the Ethiopian and other up-stream countries answer as well.

Why you do not remain under the British rule, because there was a document signed some time ago between British occupiers and Egyptian local people that Egypt is and will remain a British colony?

It was their right to rule over you because they said so and it will be their all time right to rule over you now and till the end of time.

What do you say to these statements and requests?

Your continuous argument regarding your right over the Nile simply supports the claim and question I put above, regarding your past relations with the British based on documents they have used in that relation.

Your claim is a section of a general assertion that can be described as:

What ever written or said and signed by British colonizers however irrational it may be, has to remain valid for all time.

But if you want to take out your self from the picture, because you know it is utterly nonsense, not only to be abided by but to mention and say it is valid now, then you craft a different argument in the following way:

All illegal document and irrational obligations signed by the British colonizers is void and dysfunctional, except the only one which gave Egypt and Sudan the right to boss over the natural owners of the Nile water-the up stream countries in which Ethiopia is one of them and made us 100% owners, even though the water is not ours.

In any elementary logic course, such an argument will receive an F grade and therefore you have got a grade of F ( failed) when it comes to your argument and the constant request of your irrational right over the Nile waters.

Therefore you need to get to modify your modality of thinking and put things in a right manner and perspective that match contemporary societies. It is good for common sense, good for your spiritual life, and measures civility and displays a character of a modern 21st century standard in which, logic, correct reasoning and pragmatism are imperative for healthy neighborliness and peaceful co-existence of the human society.

The claim all the time you make when it comes to the Nile River is not only irrational but defies every thing that not only be imagined irrationally but beyond that.

Think for the moment, if an elected British prime minister claims that Egypt is our colony and we have to regain it now. We have all weapons available and cross the Mediterranean Sea, capture Cairo, arrest Hossni Mubarek, take over the palace and re-instate the British constitution. It is our natural right because we have gotten a document that was put in place some 200 years ago from the British government that indeed Egypt was our colony.

What will you say? I assure you no human being having a normal thinking mind will concur with that and all people of the world ( including the British ) will be against it and will be with you if you oppose and say no you can not do that. If you say, no that was a wrong and in fact it was an invaders’ document in which no body has to be abided by now in this 21st century.

A second example which may touch your nerves is this:

Assume also the following:

The British put an oil pipe line from Egypt and Sudan to Kenya to get oil, but they do not have to be troubled by the Egyptians and Sudanese interruption. They prepared a binding document to protect this and signed between the British rulers and the Kenyans only.

The document says this:

Egypt and Sudan should not interrupt the flow of gas from their oil fields to Kenya through the pipe lines that are put in place across the desert. The British Government and Kenya will take any necessary measure to keep the flow un interrupted. If Egypt and Sudan needs to use oil for large consumptions, first they have to consult the British and the Kenyans and get permission from them.

This document is an abiding document for Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Great Britain, but it is signed only by the two groups, British and Kenya.

Keep in mind that the document is not signed by Egypt, and Sudan, but it is stated also binding for both Egypt and Sudan.

Just I will ask you this:

Not only now, but, is it not so nonsense and irrational such an agreement was signed then?
But above all, if Kenyans want to re-enforce this agreement for all time including now, will you accept it and buy (your country’s oil) from Kenya, because Kenya presents to you a document signed by it and British some hundred years back? I do not have to answer for you ?

I am sure, you will be flabbergasted and will say more than what I have said above regarding your irrational and illegal request of validity to an irrational and illegal right of ownership on some bodies natural wealth and property for all time.

In this time of our existence as a civilized society, you can not force people to believe and act on facts which were based on the false and irrational belief that the earth was flat. It is known that the earth is not flat and all the facts based on that were not only different, but wrong and no body uses them any more.

I will therefore leave you with a proposal that demands your capacity as a modern society that is part and parcel of the scientific world: Invest in science, mathematics and technology and develop scientific mechanisms which enable you to use a huge amount of water that exist across the Mediterranean boundary of your country.

Sincerely,

[Tsegaye Mebratu]

The last thing Egypt can attempt to prevent Ethiopia from using the Nile river is invasion (Since Ethiopia is starting projects of irrigation). We know in history that they came to control the source of Nile at the end of the 19th century and we gave them a good lesson by defeating them at the batteles of Gura and Gundet. Ethiopia defeated Italian army at the battle of Adwa let alone Arabs. Read history we had been fought with Arabs and kept our country from their religion and expansion. Offcourse the only country in the horn that remain without Arab and Islam dominance. Now if Egypt comes, history will repeat itself.

[Fatso Wemahwani]

This archaic Treaty cannot impoverish nations and be a source of famine while docile Upper Nile governments are ballwatching ! It's time to act and make use of the Nile waters, at source, midstream right through its length to serve humanity.

The countries, including Egypt must use conservation methods and not force other countries not to use the Nile waters while they are extravagant - using flooding irrigation methods! Use water sparingly, it's life !

[PAB]

Suddenly, Egypt is reminded that it is an african country after all. Suddenly, Egypt is reminded that its primary treasure is the Nile. Soon, they will learn to free themselves of colonial privileges and unite with their continental brothers and sisters and equally share its natural resources!!!

[RWh]

The West (meaning the U.S. taxpayer) is sick of pouring money down the African hole. I speak as a citizen of this country who sees more and more good money going after bad. Stand on your own two feet. Stop begging and learn to do things on your own without the constant wars and tribal conflicts. When the African nations do that, perhaps they can resolve their issues and then the IMF will feel comfortable with loaning them money that won't just end up in the ruling class pockets or fund arms purchases while the people continue to suffer.

[Ethiopian]

Ethiopia is the source of over 85 percent of the Nile resources, but it has been blocked from using its river for development by colonial treaties and by international funding institutions as well as by war threats from the US-funded Egyptian military. Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, who has been President for nearly 30 years, has been supported by successive American governments. Western donor institutes have given tens of billions of dollars to Egypt while the US government alone has provided over 60 billion dollars of assistance to Egypt compared to less than 4 billion in American assistance to Ethiopia since 1950. The IMF and World Bank (WB) have historically rejected financial support to Ethiopia and other upstream countries for Nile projects. Egypt you already done enough damage, we already know your old tricks…. the last thing you can do is making it worst.

[Elias]

While millions of people in the upper basin countries are suffering from drought and famine every year waiting for rainfall, Egypt and Sudan have unfairly been using the Nile to make so much food that they export in bulks.

Egypt can bring it on if it wants to fight Ethiopia. No invader has ever been successful in defeating that country since it's beginning thousands of years ago.