Pressure exerted by the United States on Ethiopia has bolstered Egypt’s position in the dispute over the Renaissance Dam, which Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile amid concerns by Cairo and Sudan.
The recent US hint to halt financial assistance to Addis Ababa is considered a “positive indication” in Egypt’s favor, observers told Asharq Al-Awsat, noting that it might contribute to resolving the ongoing African Union-sponsored talks.
Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved a plan to halt up to $130 million foreign assistance to Ethiopia over its intransigence in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) talks.
This decision has fueled new tensions in the relationship between Washington and Addis Ababa, which is still moving forward in its plan to complete the construction of the dam.
Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the US Fitsum Arega tweeted Monday saying he has heard the aid cut was linked to the negotiations on GERD, demanding clarification.
“We will pull Ethiopia out of darkness,” he stressed.
Addis Ababa, which began constructing the dam in 2011 on the Nile River, considers the project essential to generate electricity to support its development.
Both Khartoum and Cairo fear the 145-meter-high dam will threaten essential water supplies.
Cairo fears the potential negative impact of GERD on the flow of its annual share of the Nile’s 55.5 billion cubic meters of water especially that it relies on it for more than 90 percent of its water supplies.
Technical and legal differences among the three countries to reach an agreement on the operation and filling of the mega-dam have faltered.
The differences are mainly focused on filling the dam reservoir during periods of drought, as well as the dispute settlement mechanism and the binding obligations of the agreements that will be reached, as well as Ethiopia's demand for a share in the Blue Nile waters and its future projects there.
According to former Foreign Minister Mohammed El Orabi, also member of the Egyptian Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, the US hint to cut aid grants Egypt further international legitimacy.
In his statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Orabi called on Cairo to seek further international pressure on Ethiopia to agree on just solutions in the dam dispute.
He also accused the Ethiopian leadership of “sidestepping international laws and norms…without realizing the consequences of its actions.”
Ethiopia refused in February to sign a final agreement mediated by the US Treasury and the World Bank, accusing Washington of “bias in favor of Egypt.”
Ambassador Mohammed Ashraf Harbi, who is a member of the Egyptian council on foreign affairs, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US administration is serious in its threats to Ethiopia.
