Ethiopia won't be forced by US on dam
Ethiopia won't be pressured by the United States into signing a deal with Egypt and Sudan over its controversial dam on the Nile River, says Ethiopia's foreign minister. In an interview with The Associated Press, Gedu Andargachew said the three countries have to resolve their distinctions without outside pressure.
"In the talks held in Washington, DC, around mid- February, we were pressured to quickly reach an agreement and sign a deal before resolving outstanding issues," Gedu said, adding that his delegation told US officials at that time that Ethiopia wouldn't normally sign an accord under such duress.
"Then US officials drafted and sent us an agreement, which we also opposed as the US only comes with an observer status," he said.
"We are of the view that an agreement reached under great pressure is not in the very best interest of anyone party to the talks."
Tensions are rising over the impasse between Ethiopia and Egypt over the $4.6 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River, Africa's longest river. The stresses escalated after Addis Ababa did not attend the most recent round of talks held in Washington on Feb. 26, citing the necessity for further domestic consultations.
When Ethiopia did not attend the Washington meeting, Egypt's foreign ministry criticized what it called "Ethiopia's unjustifiable absence … as of this critical stage in the negotiations" and added "Egypt use all available methods to defend the interests of its people."
Following unsuccessful Washington meeting, US President Donald Trump phoned Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and "expressed hope an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be finalized soon," according to a statement issued by the White House. This prompted speculation that Trump is favoring Egypt in the dispute.
Ethiopia is currently drafting its proposal on how to resolve the standoff and it'll be presented to Egypt and Sudan soon, said Gedu.
"We won't sign up to an agreement just as the US and the World Bank came forward with it. We must take time and straighten out sticking points," he stressed.The deadlock over the dam gets increasingly bitter. Ethiopia's top military officers visited the site of the dam Thursday and issued a statement in which they vowed to "retaliate if there are any attacks on the dam," a veiled warning to Egypt not to make an effort to sabotage the dam.
Ethiopia's construction of the mega-dam, which is Africa's greatest and produce 6.4 gigawatts of power and is now around 71% complete, has been contentious for a long time. Ethiopia says the energy from the dam is crucially needed to help to pull a lot of its 100 million persons out of poverty, while Egypt warns that filling the dam's reservoir too rapidly in the coming years will threaten its fair share of Nile River waters.
Ethiopia seeks to fill the dam in seven years, but Egypt proposes it should be done more slowly, over an interval of 12 to 21 years, to reduce the reduced amount of the flow of Nile waters. Egypt relies on the Nile River for agricultural irrigation and water because of its population of about 100 million.
THE UNITED STATES and the World Bank were brought in to the talks after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi this past year pleaded with Washington and the international community to help discover a solution to the long-running dispute."Egyptian water professionals and politicians know too well our dam will not harm their interests. It'll only generate electricity and won't consume any water," said Gedu.
"We are building this dam within our territory, with this water resource and using our own money," said the foreign minister in Addis Ababa. "A lot more than 65 million Ethiopians don't have access to electricity. This is simply not acceptable. We want to pull them out of darkness using the power generated out of this dam."
Gedu said the main disagreement "stems from Egypt's refusal to simply accept the rights other countries have on the river. There are attempts to enforce colonial agreements but that will never be accepted by Ethiopia. I know the Nile River is God's surprise for Egypt. The same is true for Ethiopia and Sudan. Egyptians should come to conditions with that."
