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Egypt Accuses Ethiopia of Monopolizing Nile Waters

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile River in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Sept. 26, 2019. (Reuters)
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile River in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Sept. 26, 2019. (Reuters)
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Egypt Accuses Ethiopia of Monopolizing Nile Waters

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile River in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Sept. 26, 2019. (Reuters)
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile River in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Sept. 26, 2019. (Reuters)

Egypt said Thursday that Addis Ababa has shown its intention to impose a fait accompli on the Nile downstream countries by attempting to continue filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"Ethiopian officials use the language of sovereignty in their talks about exploiting the resources of a cross-border river. It is impermissible to extend sovereignty over them [cross border rivers] or seek to monopolize them,” said a statement by Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez.

On Wednesday, speaking on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of GERD in a symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen said his country is proceeding with the second phase of filing the controversial dam’s reservoir.

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have not reached a legal and binding agreement on the operation and filling of the dam.

“Completing the flagship project is a matter of assuring the sovereignty of the country,” the Ethiopian minister said.

Commenting on the statements, Egypt voiced rejection to Ethiopia's determination to carry out the second phase of filling GERD later this year.

Hafez said the second phase poses a threat to the interests of the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples and such unilateral measures impact security and stability in the region.

Egypt also considered the Ethiopian statements as a reflection to the absence of political desire in negotiation while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current leader of the African Union, is making appreciable efforts to relaunch the path of negotiations and reach an agreement before the next season of the flood.

“Egypt and Sudan emphasized the importance of an active involvement of the international community in talks led and conducted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo through an international quartet that includes the US, the EU, and the UN, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the negotiation process and to push the three countries and help them reach an agreement on the dam in the coming months,” Hafez said.

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LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
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LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)

The Lebanese Forces party has called for a national conference to address the Israeli war on Lebanon.

The conference, which will take place at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, aims to establish a political framework to halt the war, in cooperation with Arab nations and the international community, according to sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The sources said invitations have been sent to opposition parties, independent MPs, and national figures, though key groups such as Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Marada Movement have not been invited.

They also noted that the goal is to “create a roadmap to rescue Lebanon from the destruction caused by its involvement in the conflict and to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people, who have endured violence, displacement, and destruction.”

The conference will emphasize the need for peace, prosperity, and the reconstruction of Lebanon, reflecting the will of the majority of the Lebanese population who feel powerless in the face of ongoing turmoil, the sources stressed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a source within the LF said that the party has remained “strategically silent out of respect for the war’s victims” but now believes it is time to speak up. The party’s leader, Dr. Samir Geagea, will outline key solutions, including an immediate ceasefire, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the urgent election of a president. These proposals are intended to appeal to both domestic and international audiences, including Iran and Israel, according to the same source.

The call for a conference follows an earlier initiative by opposition MPs, including those from the Lebanese Forces, which called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control, distance Lebanon from regional conflicts, and commit to a ceasefire and the full implementation of international resolutions. However, that initiative did not yield significant results.

While there are no guarantees that the Maarab conference will lead to immediate solutions, the source in the LF said that the party is determined to push forward, pointing that a follow-up committee will be formed to engage with political forces in Lebanon and key international stakeholders, including the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.