Washington Hints at Economic Privileges to Resolve Renaissance Dam Crisis

FILE - In this June 28, 2013 file photo, the Blue Nile river flows near the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare, File)
FILE - In this June 28, 2013 file photo, the Blue Nile river flows near the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare, File)
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Washington Hints at Economic Privileges to Resolve Renaissance Dam Crisis

FILE - In this June 28, 2013 file photo, the Blue Nile river flows near the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare, File)
FILE - In this June 28, 2013 file photo, the Blue Nile river flows near the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare, File)

US President Donald Trump has said Washington supports a "mutually beneficial" agreement among parties regarding an Ethiopian dam project on the Blue Nile.

Trump’s engagement in the talks seemed like a final attempt to exert pressure on Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve their dispute. The White House brought up economic privileges that help the three countries thrive in case they reached a solution.

His remarks came at a meeting in Washington among the US, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan late Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the White House.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump met with the foreign and water resources ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to discuss progress on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam talks," it said. "The President reaffirmed United States support for a cooperative, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement among the parties.”

Trump emphasized that the US wants to see all the countries thrive and expressed hope they work together so that future generations may succeed and benefit from critical water resources.

The filling "will be executed in stages and will be undertaken in an adaptive and cooperative manner that takes into consideration the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the potential impact of the filling on downstream reservoirs," said the statement.

The three foreign ministers "reaffirmed the importance of transboundary cooperation in the development of the Blue Nile to improve the lives of the people of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, and their shared commitment to concluding an agreement," it added.

They agreed on Wednesday to reconvene in Washington later this month to finalize an agreement on the dam on the Blue Nile that sparked a diplomatic crisis between Cairo and Addis Ababa. The ministers will hold technical and legal talks ahead of their Jan. 28-29 meeting in Washington, where they plan to finalize the agreement, the statement said.

A source from the US Treasury told Asharq Al-Awsat that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass also met with foreign ministers and water resources officials from the three countries.

Officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan said they have reached a preliminary agreement that should help clear the way for the filling and operation of the USD5 billion dam project.

In a joint statement, officials from the three countries said that they had agreed that the filing of the damn should be done in stages during the rainy season, which generally runs from July to August.

The dam is around 70 percent complete.

The Blue Nile – flowing from Ethiopia to Sudan – is a key stream given that its waters represent 85 percent of the river.



Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged on Friday Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and devise a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani river.

In a press conference Friday, Geagea criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people.

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” he said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about a victory using a bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality.”

Geagea’s comments came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, also addressed Lebanon’s presidential deadlock. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for presidential elections in January. "Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and bringing them to parliament,” Geagea said.