On Thursday night, the Security Council held a meeting to discuss the dam recovery crisis. Egypt and Sudan warned of the consequences of dam storage and demanded a binding legal agreement. Ethiopia believes that the dam is irreplaceable.
The meeting was to discuss the draft resolution on the rehabilitation of the dam submitted by Tunisia in accordance with Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations. UN diplomatic sources confirmed to the Anadolu News Agency before the meeting that they would not vote on the draft resolution.
Sources pointed out that more and more members of the Security Council believe that the Security Council is not a suitable place to discuss disputes over cross-border rivers between countries. At the same time, there is a draft resolution setting the maximum period for reaching an agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to 6 Months of disagreement.
During the meeting, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said, “We believe that the African Union is the most suitable party to resolve the dam crisis.”
She added that the United States is committed to supporting the stability of the Horn of Africa and resolving differences in the reconstruction of the dam.
As for Vasily Nebenjah, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, he believes that there is no value in increasing the number of mediators in the reconstruction of the dam. He added, “We are concerned about the increasing threats in the reconstruction of the dam crisis. .”
The Russian representative also emphasized that there is no other way but to resolve the conflict through peaceful negotiations between the three countries, and warned that the threat of use of force is an act of “adding fuel to the fire”.
Barbara Woodward, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, called on the three countries to “make concessions to reach an agreement.”
“We call on all parties to return to the negotiating table under the auspices of the African Union,” the Kenyan representative said at the meeting.
Three countries
During the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri stated that the basis of the crisis was “political” and that “Ethiopia’s unfortunate position undermined all efforts to reach an agreement”.
The Egyptian minister added: “If our rights are threatened, we will have no choice but to protect our inherent right to survive,” he said, and every effort must be made through the Security Council to prevent the dam from becoming a threat to Egypt.
“We are not opposed to Ethiopia’s right to benefit from the Blue Nile water, but we require it to respect its international obligations,” Shukri added, emphasizing that his country did not require the Security Council to impose a solution on all parties. The draft resolution aims to renew Start negotiations.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister also emphasized that the Renaissance Dam puts 100 million Egyptians and 50 million Sudanese in danger, and Egypt will also lose 120 billion cubic meters of water resources.
After the meeting, Shukri held a press conference. He said: “We believe that the draft resolution submitted by Tunisia includes all the measures we seek to achieve.”
He added that considering this is not a difficult problem, Ethiopia has not shown the political will to reach a solution, and Egypt expects the Security Council to assume the responsibility of intervening and resolving the crisis within the framework of preventive diplomacy.
He said, “We hope that Russia can express its support for the agreement reached by supporting the Tunisian draft resolution on the rehabilitation of the dam.” He also emphasized that Egypt is committed to complying with the principles of the UN Charter and will continue to show flexibility and support. The negotiation process of the African Union.
Shukri added: “Egypt has recognized Ethiopia’s right to build dams and develop the Nile River as a development resource. What we want is to protect our water resources from damage.”
Sameh Shukri speaks at the Security Council (Al Jazeera)Sudan’s Foreign Minister Maria Sadiq Mohandi stated that Sudan has supported the construction of the Renaissance Dam in a way that safeguards the rights of the three countries from the very beginning. A binding agreement is necessary to protect the safety of the People’s Court, the dams in the region, and strategic security. Vital.
Mohandi believes that “the unilateral measures taken by Ethiopia in the past have harmed the lives of many citizens.” The Security Council should call on Ethiopia not to take unilateral measures and allow international representatives to play a greater role in the negotiations hosted by the African Union.
The Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs added that if no agreement is reached on the impoundment of the dam, the benefits of the dam will turn into a danger to half of the population of Sudan and Egypt, and the dam will reduce the area of flooding in Sudan by 50%.
Mohandi emphasized that the destruction of Sudan’s agricultural capacity by the dam “is a very dangerous thing and threatens the future of agricultural revival.”
The Sudanese Foreign Minister said at a press conference, “We call on the Security Council to encourage the three countries to negotiate within the expanded framework.”
As for Ethiopia’s Irrigation Minister Selassie Becquer, he said: “Today, it is unprecedented for the Security Council to review the operation of dams used to generate electricity.” He added that the Security Council is a security-focused political organization that raises technical issues with it. It’s useless.
He also said, “If the Security Council agrees to the requirements of Egypt and Sudan, it will be caught in similar disputes among many countries. We regret that the fraternal countries chose to submit the dam restoration document to the Security Council.”
“We cannot help but conclude that the opposition of Egypt and Sudan is aimed at preventing us from using our water resources,” Bekeler said.
He emphasized that the Renaissance Dam is in the right position and its goal is to improve the lives of residents in the area. He said: “The Nile water is sufficient for all of us, and we must realize that the solution cannot come from the Security Council.”
The Minister of Irrigation of Ethiopia also believes that the Renaissance Dam is not the first case. The reservoir of the Aswan Dam in Egypt is two and a half times larger than its reservoir. He emphasized that Ethiopia does not have a large amount of water resources and has no choice but to build the Renaissance Dam.
He said: “The Renaissance Dam project is an attempt to realize the dream of Ethiopians and a response to their needs in life.”
The Ethiopian Minister of Irrigation believes that the dam will store water in accordance with the agreements reached with Egypt and Sudan, stressing that the country will not succumb to pressure and is committed to participating in negotiations under the auspices of the African Union.
International position
On the other hand, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Pafete Onanga Anyanga stated that all countries sharing transboundary rivers have rights and obligations, and the three countries should cooperate with each other to avoid any expressions that increase tension. Remarks.
Inge Anderson, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, emphasized in the statement that the United Nations and the parties concerned may make progress and reach an ideal agreement in a peaceful manner, but this requires the parties concerned to show their will and overcome their differences.
On Monday, Ethiopia notified Egypt and Sudan on the lower reaches of the Nile River to start the second impoundment of the dam. However, the tripartite agreement has not yet been reached. Egypt and Sudan have refused to start impounding, considering this as a unilateral measure.
The Arab draft resolution submitted by Tunisia called on Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to continue the six-month negotiations to reach agreement on the dam’s water storage and operation rules, and called on them not to take unilateral actions.
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