Hegazy: Egypt sounds alarm to progress in GERD stalemate

Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy said that Egypt is committed to the Africancontinent and to the welfare of its people, adding that all countries visited by Foreign Minister

Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy said that Egypt is committed to the African continent and to the welfare of its people, adding that all countries visited by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry are linked with Egypt in many ties whether political, economic, cultural etc. He highlighted that Egypt had invested much in Africa in all fields over the last years.

In the light of Shoukry's tour to a host of African countries from April 19 to 22, he added over the phone to (Daily Debate) that the visits culminate an important drive towards the continent but what is important now is to shed light on the outcome of the Renaissance Dam negotiations blocked by the Ethiopean rigid position that threatens peace and security in east Africa, the most important and adhesive region to the passageways for oil and international trade and hence the instability in this region will reach out to all Africa.

In that respect, he explained that the countries included in the foreign minister’s tour are those of the political bureau of the current African chairmanship. Shoukry delivered messages from President Abdel Fattah e-Sisi to the African leaders about the current status and the efforts of Egypt to reach a final binding legal agreement that will transfer the current deadlock into an opportunity for the benefit of the three countries of the Blue Nile, he illustrated.

Moreover, the ambassador highlighted the state’s keenness to involve the international community at large but Ethiopia said that the African mediation is the only way forward, though the president of Congo tried his luck on the 4th and 5th of April, but the same inflexible position of Ethiopia faltered the African efforts.

Hegazy stated that the most important issue in the African tour is to put the political bureau of the African Union: the 5 countries’ members and the rapporteur, i.e. South Africa, into the light of the details. In addition, he asserted, the African Council will play an important role in the coming weeks, calling to bear in mind that the situation now, as Egypt sees, is a threat to peace and security in the continent.

He assured that Ethiopia did not respect all the technical norms required, though Egypt was not against the first or the second refill or even the construction of the dam itself, it rather calls for a very legitimate binding legal agreement that governs the international water course that safeguards the three downstream countries as no one will accept unilateral acts by one party.

Reiterating Sisi’s saying that this matter could destabilise the whole continent and maybe the world and would really hurt the security of Africa Egypt has committed to protect, he explained that the horn of Africa is a crucial strategic geopolitical location where international trade and oil supplies pass through the Red Sea so this conflict if ignited, no one knows the repercussions that will occur.

The second most important issue, he continued, is that there are 230 international rivers, if we allow that breach in allowing some countries to prevent water from downstream countries, it will set a precedent that can be followed by others with no respect to the international law and thus will create instability. Not to mention that Ethiopia has 12 other rivers and it has a precipitation level of 962 billion cubic metres of water i.e. 90% of its land is green while Egypt has only 6% of its land green, he noted.

Ambassador Hegazy called for our brothers in Ethiopia to delay the second refill till we reach a joint agreement as the refill is against the framework agreement reached by the three countries in Khartoum in March 2015.

It is pertinent to mention that Shoukry's African tour encompassed African capitals; Nairobi, Moroni, Pretoria, Kinshasa, Niamey, Dakar and finally Tunis to deliver President Sisi's message on GERD file.

(Daily Debate) is aired daily. This episode is presented by Mona Moselhy