CAIRO – AP || Irrigation ministers from three key Nile Basin countries wrapped up a two-day meeting Saturday in Sudan’s capital without resolving differences over Ethiopia’s soon-to-be-finished Blue Nile dam, with Egypt calling for international mediation to help reach a “fair and balanced” agreement.
Sudan Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters in Khartoum that progress was made but differences on filling the giant reservoir and operating rules of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remain unsettled.
He said Ethiopia proposed a plan to fill the reservoir over four to seven years, without elaborating. He added that the three countries would continue consultations without giving a time frame.
Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement after the meeting that talks have stalemated, claiming Ethiopia rejected “all proposals that … avoid causing substantial damage to Egypt.”
“Ethiopia … offered a new proposal that contradicts previously agreed principles governing the filling and operating process,” said Muhammed el-Sebai, spokesman of the ministry.
He said Egypt has called for international mediation “to help reach a fair and balanced agreement that protect the three countries’ rights.”
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi tweeted later that Egypt would “continue to take necessary measures at the political level and in accordance with international law to protect its rights” in Nile waters.
Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Radi said Egypt was looking forward to an “instrumental role” by the U.S. in the talks. He said because there was no breakthrough in negotiations, there was a need for an “international instrumental role to overcome the current deadlock.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Thursday the U.S. supports Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan’s negotiations to reach a sustainable and mutually beneficial agreement.
“All Nile Valley countries have a right to economic development and prosperity,” Grisham said. “The administration calls on all sides to put forth good faith efforts to reach an agreement that preserves those rights, while simultaneously respecting each other’s Nile water equities.”
Ethiopia in a statement later Saturday blamed Egypt for the failure of the talks, claiming Egypt’s delegation applied a “disruptive tactic to halt the hydrology, environmental and social impact assessment” on the project. Egypt’s proposal for international mediation was “an unwarranted denial of the progress in the trilateral technical dialogue” that “goes against the consent and wishes of Ethiopia and the Sudan,” it said.
It said, however, that differences among the three parties could be resolved through further talks.
Eighty five percent of Nile waters originate in Ethiopia from the Blue Nile, which is one of the Nile’s two main tributaries.
Egypt fears the dam could reduce its share of the Nile River, which serves as a lifeline for the country’s 100 million people. Ethiopia has roughly the same population and says the dam will help its economic development.
So what will Egypt do if no mediator comes forward? Send a couple of its clunky F16’s and cause harm to the dam? If it goes that route, the F16 will trigger this massive earth quake from its earth shaking sonic boom. When a massive earthquake occurs around a big river like The Blue Nile it always triggers a massive alluvial tsunami which forces the river to flow backward. You follow me?
On the other hand this Egyptian minister is sending a message to all of you bigots. He is asking you to come to his joint in droves. He will treat you like a king after you finished shining his shoes. First you have to come up with a ‘liberation’ front. I suggest the following striking names.
1) Black-mane Lion Liberation Front
2) Rent Is Too Damn High In Minnesota Liberation Front
3) Abiy Is Not Pure Oromo Liberation Front
4) I Want Egypt To Take Over The Dam Liberation Front
5) We Are Arabs Too Liberation Front
6) I Hate The Word Ethiopia Liberation Front.
You want me to go on? Let me stop here for now.
Among these 6, the 4th & 5th ones will be a hit for you in Al-Qahirah. They will be runaway bread crumbs-getter for your front. Also make sure you give yourself an Arab sounding non de guerre for yourself and your scavenger lieutenants. That will make things easier for you in breaking the ice with el-Sisi and his Wahhabi big bucket friends. I’m not lying to you. Just ask your predecessors!!! So hurry up!!!!
Make that ‘fluvial tsunami’.
Now Egypt is making its intention very clear. It now came out in the open making a threat with everything including force. Its foreign minister Shoukry has lambasted in front of their parliament saying ‘The Egyptian Foreign Minister revealed that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has ordered to take all the necessary political measures…’ He finished that with like ‘according to international law’. I have attached the link for all of you to read about all about it. If you had lived there in the 1960’s Egypt’s then foreign minister and Nasser used to say things of the same nature about Israel. That led to their humiliating defeats at the hands of Moshe Dayan where about 300 Israeli soldiers captured the entire Egyptian division. That is more than 12,000 soldiers. They didn’t even fire a single shot!!! This is a war drum folks. I suggest those of you who understand Arabic to listen to what they tell their people on their radio and TV presentations. It is always different from what they say in the formal ways. Here is the link: https://wwww.dailynewssegypt.com/2019/10/09/egypt-firmly-rejects-unilateral-operation-of-gerd/
I have been watching them since they began blabbering lately about the dam.