عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Sudan Plans to Benefit from its Full Share of Nile Water

Sudan's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
Sudan's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
TT
20
TT

Sudan Plans to Benefit from its Full Share of Nile Water

Sudan's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
Sudan's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)

Sudan's Water Minister Yasser Abbas said on Friday that his country was barely using 6 billion cubic meters of water from its 18.5 billion share from the Nile River, stressing the need to revise the laws regulating water projects in a way to allow Khartoum benefit from its full share.

“Sudan is not using more than 6 billion cubic meters of water from its 18.5 billion share, listed in the 1959 agreement,” he said.

The agreement with Britain increased Egypt’s share of the Nile water to 55.5 billion, while Sudan received 18.5 billion.

The deal has governed the use of Cairo’s water to date and it allowed Egypt the right to veto any construction projects that would impede the flow of water into the Nile.

During the first meeting of the advisory council tasked with placing the ministry’s policies and programs during the transitional phase in Sudan, Abbas said that the isolated system of the water harvesting program in Sudan was used for political and not service purposes, adding that this program was not implemented in the best ways.

He said that the principle challenges that the ministry was currently facing are to build water harvest facilities and to manage them in a sustainable manner.

“We rely on the advisory council to discuss and draw new policies and programs to allow the implementation of such projects,” he said.

The minister mentioned the lack of water engineers working at the ministry. “We are working to restructure the ministry during the upcoming phase to attract young engineers,” he said.

Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile began in 2012, but since then Egypt has sounded the alarm that the project would severely reduce its water supplies.

In November, the foreign ministers and water resources ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia met in Washington to discuss issues related to the dam and they agreed to hold four technical meetings to follow up and assess the progress.

The first meeting was held in Ethiopia in November and the second meeting was held in Cairo in December.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Egypt Concerned Over Developments in Iran

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi meet in Istanbul last Saturday (Egyptian Foreign Ministry) 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi meet in Istanbul last Saturday (Egyptian Foreign Ministry) 
TT
20
TT

Egypt Concerned Over Developments in Iran

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi meet in Istanbul last Saturday (Egyptian Foreign Ministry) 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi meet in Istanbul last Saturday (Egyptian Foreign Ministry) 

Egypt on Sunday expressed its “deep concern” over the latest developments in Iran following the US attacks on the country’s nuclear sites. It condemned the growing escalation, warning of its serious consequences on regional and international peace and security.

Although the foreign ministry’s statement did not directly refer to the US, an Egyptian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat, “We do not need to explain what is well-known. The Foreign Ministry statement condemned escalation following the US bombing. Everyone knows that Egypt meant the actions of Washington and not others.”
In the statement, Egypt reaffirmed its rejection of any violations of the UN Charter and international law, stressing the need to respect the sovereignty of states.
It also warned anew against the dangers should the region slide into further chaos and tension.
The statement emphasized that political solutions and diplomatic negotiations, not military action, are the only path to resolving the crisis and achieving a lasting settlement.
Egypt then renewed its call for de-escalation, self-restraint and dialogue, in order to protect civilian lives and preserve the security and stability of the region.

The statement came after the United States attacked early on Sunday Iran's three nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. According to observers, the current escalation between Washington and Tehran is among the most dangerous in years.

Dr. Amr Al-Shobaki, an expert at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said Egypt has a strong strategic alliance with the US.

However, tension lately arose after US President Donald Trump insisted that Egypt should accept displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

In its FM statement condemning the attack on Iran, “Egypt did not want to clearly refer to the US,” Al-Shobaki told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said Egypt’s statement spoke in general when it warned of the serious consequences on regional and international peace and security.

“Cairo expressed its concern about the strike, but did not directly mention the US. It wanted to prevent an open confrontation and further tension in relations between both countries,” Al-Shobaki added.

On Saturday night, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Sisi expressed Egypt's complete rejection of the ongoing Israeli escalation against Iran, unlike the FM statement released following the US strikes and which did not mention Washington.

Meanwhile, Egypt continues to exert efforts to deescalate tensions in the region.

In this regard, Sisi on Sunday spoke by phone with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. Sisi emphasized the need to halt the ongoing escalation between Israel and Iran, warning of the grave consequences of the expanding conflict in the region.

Sisi also praised the role played by the Sultanate in mediating between Iran and the United States, stressing the need to restore and strengthen the negotiating process to spare the region the scourge of war.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made two separate phone calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on the need to avoid further chaos and tension in the region.

The ministers emphasized the importance of halting military escalation and achieving a ceasefire, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“They called for prioritizing political and diplomatic solutions as the only viable path out of the current crisis,” it added.

They also underscored the need to respect the sovereignty of states, uphold international law and adhere to the United Nations Charter.