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US Backs Egypt’s Call on Resuming GERD Negotiations

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tanzania in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tanzania in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
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US Backs Egypt’s Call on Resuming GERD Negotiations

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tanzania in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tanzania in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

The United States has backed Egypt's call on resuming the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) talks as soon as possible.

“The US and Egypt called for the resumption of negotiations over an agreement on the GERD under the auspices of the Chairperson of the African Union, in line with the Presidential Statement of the United Nations Security Council of September 15, 2021, and the 2015 Agreement on Declaration of Principles,” a joint US-Egyptian statement read.

The US further “reiterated President Biden’s support for Egypt’s water security.”

This came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry concluded the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue on Nov. 8-9 in Washington.

Around 80 percent of the dam's construction works have been completed so far, which is a cause of concern to Egypt and Sudan that fear the dam's impact on their water shares.

Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for almost 10 years to conclude a legally binding agreement.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met on Wednesday with his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Hassan at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

The meeting was followed by extensive discussions between the delegations of the two countries.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency affirmed the keenness of Sisi on strengthening relations and consolidating strategic cooperation with Tanzania in various fields, especially at the economic, commercial, and security levels, in addition to arranging the holding of the joint committee between the two countries.

For her part, the Tanzanian President stressed her country's keenness to develop these relations in various fields, especially trade and economic cooperation.

Hassan also expressed her country’s interest in maximizing the technical support provided by Egypt to Tanzanian cadres in the areas of capacity building, as well as obtaining the support of Egyptian companies working in the field of infrastructure.

The Tanzanian president also praised the pivotal role that Egypt plays regionally in maintaining peace and security, commending the Egyptian positions aimed at achieving stability in the Great Lakes region, East Africa, and the Nile Basin.

The meeting concluded with a signing ceremony of several MoUs in the fields of higher education, education, youth, and sports.

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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh has stressed the need for all Libyans to actively participate in the political process and play a role in shaping Libya’s future.

Tetteh’s comments came shortly before her briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the North African country.

On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, briefed a delegation of 28 representatives of civil society organizations from the southern region, including mayors and municipality members, on the outcomes of the Advisory Committee and the country-wide consultations led by the UN mission regarding the political process, as well as the recent meeting of the International Follow-up Committee in Berlin.

The participants told Tetteh that the ongoing institutional divisions between the east and west are negatively impacting the south.

They expressed a strong desire to see national elections through which all Libyans can choose their leaders and establish unified national institutions.

The southern delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that all cultural components have the opportunity to participate equally as citizens in the governance of the country.

Tetteh then held a meeting with the mayors of Misrata, Tarhouna, Khoms, Zliten, and Qasr al-Akhyar to discuss the options put forward by the Advisory Committee, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by municipalities across Libya.

UNSMIL stated the mayors conveyed their support for the work of the Advisory Committee and submitted a petition to Tetteh expressing their support for inclusive dialogue involving elected municipal councils and an end to the protracted transitional phases in Libya.

The mayors also stressed the need for effective administrative decentralization, and the allocation of resources to the municipalities to support adequate service delivery, and noted that the municipalities were currently underfunded.

They also voiced concerns over irresponsible public spending, which they warned poses a threat to the Libyan state, and called for the adoption of clear criteria for allocations of development funds.

They noted the importance of strengthening decentralization as a means to provide critical support for the Libyan people.

In a related development, the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, met Monday in Tripoli with British Ambassador to Libya Martin Longden to discuss ways the UK can support Libya’s electoral process.

Longden reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing technical and advisory support to the HNEC, aimed at strengthening its readiness and ensuring elections are held with integrity and transparency.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah chaired an expanded meeting on Monday to follow up on the latest developments in the implementation of the “Emmar Tripoli” (Tripoli Re/Development) program, launched by the his government, with the aim of improving infrastructure and enhancing the aesthetic and urban character of the capital.

During the meeting, Dbeibah stressed the need to overcome obstacles and accelerate the pace of work according to the approved timetables, stressing the importance of daily field follow-up to achieve the set goals.