---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 6:39 PM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: No rush to ratify Nile deal To: Group <[email protected]>
No rush to ratify Nile deal: Ethiopia By Kirubel Tadesse Capital Ethiopia Tuesday, 08 March 2011 12:10 With Burundi coming on board the Nile deal helping the number of signatories of the agreement reach the much needed six, the Ethiopian government will not rush to ratify the treaty into legislation and there is still time for Egypt and Sudan to come on board, a senior cabinet minister told Capital. “We will wait for other countries to join us until the May 2011 deadline as per the original agreement,” said Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water and Energy who welcomed Burundi’s signing of the River Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). It was on Monday February 2011 that the Government of Burundi signed the agreement. The Burundian Minister of Water, Environment, Land Management and Urban Planning, Jean-Marie Nibirantije, inked the Nile Treaty on behalf of his government at the capital Bujumbura. This brought the number of the Nile Basin States that have so far signed the CFA to six with Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda first and later Kenya signing the agreement in May 2010. Six - The magic number The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a partnership initiated and led by the riparian states of the Nile River through the Council of Ministers of Water Affairs of the Nile Basin states; Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Eritrea has only an observer position in the initiative that produced the agreement through, over 12 years of negotiations. While cooperative water resources management is complex in any international river basin, experts say in the Nile Basin, which is characterized by water scarcity, poverty, a long history of dispute and insecurity, and rapidly growing populations demanding water, it is particularly more difficult. The 12 year negotiation deal is however a win, win agreement for all, says Ethiopia’s minister Alemayehu: “This is why we remain hopeful; DRC, Egypt and Sudan will soon join us in signing the deal.” Under the previous colonial Nile treaties, Egypt and Sudan were given 86 percent of the Nile river share despite the other seven African countries contributing over 95% to the river. Ethiopia alone contributes around 85 percent to the Nile but it uses less than 1 percent while the other 75 percent is used by Egypt (55.5 billion cubic meters of water per annum) and 11 percent for Sudan. While Ethiopia with five others countries inked the latest deal for an equitable share Egypt and Sudan remain opposed to the pact. “When all countries negotiated, all of them agreed that at least six countries had to sign and ratify this agreement to make it legal and internationally accepted as it is uncommon in almost all international treaties for all negotiating countries to accept and ratify an agreement,” says Imeru Tamrat an independent water law expert. A new Egypt but old outlook Though Egypt’s foreign policy has been in limbo since Hosni Mubarak was unseated from his 30 years strong grip on power by popular revolt last month, what is left of his regime was quick to denounce Burundi’s landmark signing of the deal. Egyptian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Irrigation and Water Resources were said to be checking the authenticity of the signing of Burundi of the Entebbe Agreement. Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs says the new Nile Basin Agreement is non-binding to Egypt because it is not a party, even if it is ratified by the parliaments of these countries and enters the implementation phase. “The framework signed by these states is in violation of procedural regulations that have been agreed upon by Nile Basin states, and it does not absolve these states of their previous commitments with Egypt,” Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hussein el-Atfi said. Sudan also reportedly rejected Burundi’s decision to enter into the pact. According to Minister Alemayehu Tegenu, while the six countries wait on DRC, Egypt and Sudan until the May deadline to endorse the pact, the deal can strive without them: “They can express their opinion and it is not a new one. While we choose to be hopeful they will come on board this fair deal as it was agreed, since the required six countries ratified it, the agreement will become effective after the May deadline.” In an interview with Reuters a few months ago, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had accused Egypt of trying to destabilize Ethiopia by supporting several small rebel groups, a tactic he said would no longer work. Ethiopian experts for long blamed Cairo for working to undermine Ethiopia’s effort to acquire loans and grants to develop around Nile and its feeders. The latest agreement, to become effective in May, could change that. “We would appreciate loans or grants if they come, but our projects are primarily self financed, and that is what we count on. Our effort to CFA has been in a strong view to see an equitable resource distribution system placed,” said Minister Alemayehu Tegenu. http://www.capitalethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14291:no-rush-to-ratify-nile-deal-ethiopia&catid=12:local-news&Itemid=4 END ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor Sudan Ecumenical Forum [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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