From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed May 12 2010 - 07:51:23 EDT
Nile nations split on proposed water-sharing pact
By Ben Simon (AFP) – 9 hours ago
KAMPALA — Seven African nations are expected to push through a new and more
equitable deal this week on sharing the waters of the Nile despite strong
opposition from Egypt and Sudan.
"What we are doing is launching the signing. Any country that feels they
cannot sign now but may be ready to sign later will have one year," Jennifer
Namuyangu Byakatonda, Uganda?s state minister for water told AFP.
The nine nations that directly benefit from the Nile?s resources have for
years been negotiating a new pact to replace a 1959 deal between Egypt and
Sudan giving them more than 90 percent control of the water flow.
Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have agreed
on terms for a new pact and could ink the deal when it opens for signature
on Friday in Entebbe, Uganda.
Byakatonda insisted that the upstream countries will not capitulate to
demands for further negotiations.
"Negotiations are closed," she said. "The terms will not change."
The upstream countries want to be able to implement irrigation and
hydropower projects in consultation with Egypt and Sudan, but without Egypt
being able to exercise the veto power it was given by a 1929 colonial-era
treaty with Britain.
Egypt and Sudan are afraid their water supply will be severely reduced if
the seven other Nile users divert the river with domestic irrigation and
hydropower projects.
One non-governmental participant in the talks said those concerns were not
valid.
"The issue here is lack of information. It?s not likely that flow will be
affected at all by irrigation," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Construction of damns is a major point of contention. It can severely delay
the waterflow downstream."
Byakatonda said the main obstacle throughout the process has been that Egypt
and Sudan insist on preserving the status quo.
"They are of the view that they should retain their historical rights," she
said.
Last month, Egypt?s minister of water resources and irrigation Mohammed
Allam warned upstream countries against signing a pact without Egypt?s
consent.
"If the Nile basin countries unilaterally signed the agreement it would be
considered the announcement of the Nile Basin Initiative?s death," he said,
referring to the World Bank funded umbrella organisation spearheading the
talks.
Byakatonda countered that by signing and implementing the new deal the
southern nations could ease Egypt?s and Sudan?s concerns.
"The work cannot start until the agreement has been signed," she said.
"I believe that during this one year period the downstream countries will
have the confidence that we are being honest and genuine."
She said she has held bilateral talks with the upstream nations and
underscored that everyone understood the need to maintain water security in
Egypt and Sudan.
"We are mindful that anything we do should not hurt them. We understand the
Nile River is their life," she said.
Byakatonda claimed she did not know which countries were ready to sign the
new agreement but an Ethiopian foreign ministry official told AFP that all
Nile nations, barring Egypt and Sudan, will ink the deal on Friday.
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