JULY 22/2009

SABRE RATTLING BY EGYPT CANNOT PASS

The traitorous regime of Meles Zenawi has once again ceded Ethiopia's rights over the River Nile. 85% of the water of the Nile comes from the Blue Nile (Abbai River) in Ethiopia.

As parliamentarians from 11 African Nile basin countries consider to file a lawsuit against Egypt regarding the 1929 and 1959 agreements that gave it exclusive right on the usage of the Nile, the sold out regime in Addis Ababa, like Egypt's ally Sudan, has reportedly declined to back the riparian countries. The 1929 agreement was signed between Egypt and colonial Britain without the participation of Ethiopia or any other riparian country. In 1959 Sudan and Egypt signed an amendment to the 1929 document and once again gave full rights to Egypt over the Nile to the detriment of the interests of the African countries concerned.

Last month, the Nile Basin countries met in the Congo to discuss a more rationale use of the Nile but Egypt refused to sign the common document alleging that come what may it will defend its so called "historical rights". Back in 1993, the Meles regime reportedly signed an agreement with Egypt ceding Ethiopian rights and by refusing now to join the 11 countries trying to bring the case against Egypt and Britain to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) it has proved beyond any shadow of a doubt its anti Ethiopian nature.

Egypt's greedy claim over more and more of the waters of the Nile has hindered the other countries from using the Nile waters for their own irrigation and farming. At the Congo meeting Egypt wanted the African countries to approve its "right to 5.5 billion cubic square metres of waters annually" as well as to agree that dam or other project will not be done on the Nile without Egyptian approval and that the Convention be amended only by unanimous vote. Egypt has grandiose plan to sue the water of the Nile to develop a desert area to be populated by millions of settlers. To assure supremacy of its demands Egypt has tried several invasions and sabotage directed against Ethiopia and the late Sadat had even threatened war against Ethiopia over the Nile. The sabre rattling has now been taken by Al Ahram news paper and other Egyptian officials who are now declaring they will go to war if Egypt's so called rights are compromised.

The traitorous regime of Meles Zenawi has undoubtedly ceded Ethiopia's rights to Egypt. Yet, Ethiopians will not relinquish their historical rights to the Nile whose waters come mainly from Ethiopia. The EPRP backs the 11 African countries' attempt to take Egypt and Britain to the ICJ and their demand to have the unfair and illegal treaties of 1929 and 1956 abrogated.

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