Karti in Ethiopia to discuss Nile dam, Sudan-South Sudan conflicts
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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
June 12, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – Sudanese foreign minister Ali Ahmed
Karti has met with Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn in
Addis Ababa, where they discussed the recent tensions between Sudan
and South Sudan, as well as Ethiopia’s controversial Nile dam project
Karti’s visit on Tuesday comes as the row between Cairo and Addis
Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile
escalated this week, raising fears of a potential conflict over water
resources.
In an apparent threat to Ethiopia , Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi
said “all options are open on the table” in reference to sabotage
plans voiced by some Egyptian politicians, which were inadvertently
broadcast by state television.
At the meeting chaired by Morsi, options such as military action and
providing support to rebels were put forward to halt construction of
the dam project.
Ethiopia responded on Tuesday by downplaying Egypt’s war of words as
“psychological warfare” and stressing that it will press ahead with
the project despite what it labelled Egypt’s “destructive propaganda”.
During the discussions, Ethiopian prime minister commended Sudan’s
position on the final findings of the panel of international experts
which had been tasked to assess the impacts of Ethiopia’s dam on lower
riparian countries, such as Sudan and Egypt.
Desalegn told Karti that Ethiopia is committed to discussing any
comment provided by downstream countries, particularly from Egypt,
over the panel’s report, which concluded that Ethiopia’s Nile dam
project would result in no significant harm to Sudan and Egypt.
The Sudanese foreign minister said his government accepts the final
report of the panel as it has dispelled previous uncertainties about
the project and agreed with Addis Ababa’s assertion that the dam will
in fact be beneficial to downstream countries.
Karti’s visit to Ethiopia is seen as a sign of solidarity over the
massive project which Ethiopia insists will not harm other Nile basin
countries but rather supply them with clean energy and reduce
sedimentation in their territory.
Both Desalegn and Karti have also vowed to further strengthen existing
bilateral relations in all aspects.
SUDAN, SOUTH SUDAN CONFLICT
The Sudanese foreign minister asked the Ethiopian government to play a
leading role in settling the challenges facing the implementation of
previous agreements on post-secession issues between Sudan and South
Sudan.
Seen as a neutral mediator by both Sudans, Ethiopia has played a
crucial role in facilitating and hosing talks on a range of
outstanding issues between both countries since South Sudan’s
independence in 2011.
The two East African nations signed a cooperation agreement in
September 2012 and a matrix for its implementation in March this year
covering security, oil and border issues.
South Sudan resumed oil production in April following a 15-month
stand-off over how much Juba should pay Khartoum to refine its crude
and export it to international markets via Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir announced this week that he was
ordering the shutdown of oil flows, alleging that South Sudan was
backing rebels operating in Sudan.
Juba denies backing Sudanese rebels and accuses Khartoum of supporting
militia in its territory. Since oil production was first stopped in
January 2012, South Sudan has been planning a new pipeline to the East
African coast.
The Ethiopian prime minister has expressed his country’s continued
support to peacefully resolving the ongoing differences and
misunderstandings between Sudan and South Sudan.
(ST)
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