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Egypt, Mauritania Urge Ethiopia to Adopt Common Ground Solutions in GERD

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazaouani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazaouani (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Mauritania Urge Ethiopia to Adopt Common Ground Solutions in GERD

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazaouani (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazaouani (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and Mauritania on Sunday urged Ethiopia to show the political will to adopt any common ground solutions put on the negotiating table that meet its interests regarding the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi reaffirmed the “serious repercussions” on water security of the Nile Basin countries, calling for a legally binding agreement regarding the GERD filling and operation.

Sisi received President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazaouani, who arrived in Cairo on a three-day visit.

He described the talks with Ghazaouani as “constructive” and tackled various bilateral, regional, and international issues.

The Egyptian President said in a press conference with his Mauritanian counterpart that Egyptian water security is integral to Arab water security.

“We stressed the importance of urging Ethiopia to show the political will to adopt any of the common ground solutions that were put on the negotiating table and that meet its interests without encroaching on the rights and interests of the two downstream countries.”

GERD negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have stalled since January 2021. Cairo resorted to the Security Council in July 2020, but the latter urged the three countries to resume negotiations and finalize an acceptable and binding agreement.

The two presidents agreed to continue coordination and cooperation within the framework of the African Union and continue efforts to support the structure of peace, security, and development in the African continent.

Sisi indicated that consultations had demonstrated a shared political will to strengthen outstanding relations and promote them toward broader prospects.

The two leaders agreed on further advancing cooperation in the economic, investment, and trade fields and expediting the convening of the second round of the Egyptian-Mauritanian High Joint Committee this year.

The committee aims to foster closer relations, deepen the bilateral partnership, and strengthen cooperation and coordination about issues of mutual concern.

They touched on the latest developments in the Arab arena and agreed on the importance of advancing mechanisms of joint Arab action to maintain national security and protect the unity, sovereignty, and resources of Arab states.

The talks focused on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and the Libyan crisis.

“We shared the same view regarding the importance of holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and the departure of all foreign forces, mercenaries, and foreign fighters with no exception within a set timeframe, in line with the relevant international resolutions.”

Regarding developments in Sudan, the Egyptian President stressed the importance of an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, preserving Sudan’s national institutions and preventing them from collapsing.

“We urge all parties to make the voice of wisdom prevail to preserve the capabilities of the Sudanese state and the interests of its people”, he said.

 

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Arab World

Germany Says Sanctions against Syrian War Crimes Suspects Must Stay but People Need Relief

A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Germany Says Sanctions against Syrian War Crimes Suspects Must Stay but People Need Relief

A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)

thGermany’s foreign minister said Sunday that sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month's overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

Annalena Baerbock spoke to reporters after arriving in Saudi Arabia for a conference on Syria's future attended by top European and Middle Eastern diplomats.

Germany is one of several countries that imposed sanctions on the Assad government over its brutal crackdown on dissent. Those penalties could hinder Syria's recovery from nearly 14 years of civil war that killed an estimated 500,000 people and displaced half the prewar population of 23 million, according to The AP.

“Sanctions against Assad’s henchmen who committed serious crimes during the civil war must remain in place,” Baerbock said. “But Germany proposes to take a smart approach to sanctions, providing rapid relief for the Syrian population. Syrians now need a quick dividend from the transition of power.”

Baerbock announced an additional 50 million euros ($51.2 million) in German aid for food, emergency shelters and medical care, highlighting the ongoing struggles of millions of Syrians displaced by the war.

The sanctions imposed target not only senior government officials, but also the country's oil industry, international money transfers and hundreds of entities and individuals linked to the Assad government, crippling the wider economy.

There are exemptions when it comes to humanitarian aid, but relief organizations have said that overcompliance by financial institutions hinders their operations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country, which was a strong supporter of the Syrian opposition to Assad, would try to aid Syria in normalizing ties with the international community.

He said it was important to establish “a balance between the expectations of the international community and the realities faced by the new administration in Syria.”

He pledged Turkish support to the new government, especially in combating threats from the ISIS group. “As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part to ease the difficult path ahead for the Syrian people,” he said in comments carried by state-run Anadolu Agency.

The United States has eased some restrictions Last week, the United States eased some of its restrictions on Syria, with the US Treasury issuing a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The US has also dropped a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmad al-Sharaa, a Syrian opposition leader formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month. Al-Sharaa was a former senior al-Qaeda militant who broke with the group years ago and has pledged an inclusive Syria that respects the rights of religious minorities.

The opposition factions led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule.

Much of the world severed ties with Assad and imposed sanctions on his government — and its Russian and Iranian allies — over alleged war crimes and the manufacturing of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, which reportedly generated billions of dollars as packages of the little white pills were smuggled across Syria’s porous borders.

With Assad out of the picture, Syria’s new authorities hope that the international community will pour money into the country to rebuild its battered infrastructure and make its economy viable again.