-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Prospects for Developing the Nile 1920 GMT, 010803 Summary States in the Nile River basin are taking an unprecedented step toward cooperation and river development. The new International Consortium for Cooperation on the Nile, funded by the World Bank and other aid donors, will conduct a series of studies to determine the feasibility of developing the world's longest river. The first few projects will become the test case and set the tone for future efforts toward cooperation and river development. Analysis The new International Consortium for Cooperation on the Nile (ICCON) met for the first time June 26 through 28, gaining an initial $140 million in donor money. The consortium, comprising the 10 states along the Nile, is charged with designing a program for basin-wide development. The ICCON and its affiliated organization, the Nile Basin Initiative, signify an unprecedented step in regional cooperation: the first basin-wide approach toward Nile River development. In the past, Egypt has jealously guarded Nile waters, its most precious resource, against widespread diversion. Now, all 10 Nile riparian countries -- Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda -- are cooperating to advance river development. But cooperation may bog down quickly when water diversion actually begins. The first few projects to be implemented will become the test case for the future of both ICCON and for cooperation among Nile basin nations. The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching 4,130 miles from its sources in Equatorial Africa and the Ethiopian mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. The headwaters spew from Lake Victoria in the Great Lakes region and from the Ethiopian highlands. The river has long been a source of conflict and discord. Although 10 African countries lie along the Nile basin, only two have a legal claim to use the river's water. A 1959 agreement gives Egypt the lion's share of the river's estimated annual flow of 84 billion cubic meters (bcm). Sudan receives only 18.5 bcm of the water for domestic use, and Egypt claims the right to approximately two-thirds, or 55.5 bcm of water per year. Until now, none of the other eight states have had the right to develop the river's resources. That could soon change. ICCON was formed to spearhead river development initiatives involving its sister organization, the Nile Basin Initiative, and international aid donors. ICCON is a consultative group cooperating with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the Canadian International Development Agency, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility and a coalition of interested non-governmental organizations. The Nile development program is still in its early phases. The pledged $140 million will be used to conduct a series of feasibility studies and develop a legal framework for sharing the river's water. Development projects will focus primarily on developing the Eastern and Equatorial Nile sub-basins as well as on some broader initiatives. Participating countries are attempting to lay a foundation for future river development. Although no projects have yet been agreed to, international donors have signaled willingness to provide $3 billion for the first phase of investment and development. Future projects will likely include the construction of new dams and irrigation systems. Herein lies the potential for conflict. The construction of dams and the diversion of water for additional irrigation systems will alter the distribution of Nile River waters. Clearly, increased use by one Nile basin country will decrease the water available to others. Egypt, the traditional ruler of the Nile, in the past threatened more than once that any development of the Nile by other riparian states would be seen in Cairo as a threat to national security and could possibly lead to war. Already, conflict has hampered economic development of the Nile by most riparian states. Currently, at least seven of the 10 are engaged in some form of conflict. Burundi and Sudan are both caught up in civil wars. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda, internal and regional strife has largely curtailed any plans these governments might have for expanding or developing Nile river projects. Each of the Nile River states has its own motives to cooperate on development. The recent funding from the World Bank is the first step toward making cooperation a reality and laying the groundwork for actual development. But it will be the first few projects - perhaps a new dam in Uganda or a new irrigation system in drought-stricken Ethiopia - that will serve as the real test of cooperation among the Nile basin states. The loss of significant water resources in a desert region plagued with drought has historically prompted conflict. Despite the best intentions of the riparian states, conflict is likely to reemerge *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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