Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2014 19:20:39 +0200
Egypt presidential hopeful threatens to use force over Ethiopian dam
April 7, 2014 (WASHINGTON) - A potential candidate for the Egyptian
presidency announced today that he will order the use of military force
against Ethiopia if the latter does not suspend the construction of the
Grand Renaissance dam.
In announcing his presidential bid at a press conference on Sunday, lawyer
Mortada Mansour said that "water for Egypt is Egypt's life".
"There" are signed international conventions ... There are two agreements,
one in 1929 and the other in 1959 to regulate water usage between Egypt and
Sudan," Mansour added.
The controversial figure, who was elected last week as head of Cairo's
Zamalek Club, accused Israel of standing behind the Ethiopian dam project
and dismissed popular initiatives to resolve the dispute with Addis Ababa.
"There are international organisations that failed [to mediate] and Ethiopia
stuck to its position. Just like they threatened to use their army, Egypt
has an army. If Israel which is inciting Ethiopia learned a lesson from the
Egyptian army in 1973 [war], you are threatening my life. I will not allow
you to build your dam and block water from me and in the end famine occurs
among the Egyptian people and we kill each other for a drop of water,"
Mansour said.
"Just like they showed off and brought their generals around the dam and
said if Egypt can come. No we also have generals and planes O' Ethiopia that
can reclaim Egypt's rights because we will not allow a drop of water to be
cut, to have drought in the country, in agriculture, people can't find a
drop of water. This is <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50566>
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for us. I thought that for subsequent Egyptian administrations that the
issue of water is a life or death issue. This is not up for discussion," he
added.
Egypt fears that the $4.6 billion hydropower plant will diminish its share
of the river's water flows, arguing its historic water rights must be
maintained.
Ethiopia is the source of about 85% of the Nile's water, mainly through
rainfall in its highlands, with over 90% of Egyptians relying on water from
the Nile's flows.
In June 2012, a panel of international experts tasked with studying the
impacts of the Ethiopian dam on lower riparian countries, including Sudan
and Egypt, found that the dam project will not cause significant harm to
either country.
Cairo remains unconvinced and has sought further studies and consultation
with Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
If Mansour's candidacy is endorsed by the presidential commission he will
face former Egyptian defence minister Field Marshal Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi, who
is widely tipped to win. Leftist political figure Hamdeen Sabahi has also
pledged to contest the elections.
Mansour has made a failed bid to run for president in the 2012 elections but
was disqualified by the elections committee.
According to a <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50566>
profilehttp://savingsslider-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png by
the Daily News Egypt, Mansour said in 2011 that he did not "have the right
to run" for president because he is "ill-tempered".
In April 2011, Mansour was accused of being involved in Tahrir clashes
commonly dubbed "the <http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50566>
Battlehttp://savingsslider-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png of
the Camel" on 2 February, which left 11 demonstrators dead and hundreds
injured. He was later acquitted of all charges however.
He ran in four parliamentary elections in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2012, but
only won in the 2000 elections. In 2012, he lost to an opponent from the
Muslim Brotherhood.
He is well known for his hot temper and was taken off air in TV phone
interviews a number of times for using obscene language.
Mansour is also seen as someone who is obsessed with filing numerous police
complaints and lawsuits against figures he has disputes with.
JPEG - 14.6 kb
Lawyer and head of a renowned Egyptian soccer club Mortada Mansour speaks
during a press conference in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on 6 April 2014
(AP)
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