By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, CAIRO
Egypt
Egypt says Ethiopia is deliberately delaying talks on Nile dispute so as to "buy time" in order to continue filling its giant dam being built on River Nile.
"It is regrettable that
Ethiopian officials continue to express their unwillingness to resume negotiations
under the auspices of the African Union (AU) in a new attempt to buy time and
continue filling the dam without an agreement," Egypt's Deputy Foreign
Minister for African Affairs Hamdy Loza said on Wednesday.
Cairo's latest accusation came
hours after Addis Ababa announced that it will fill the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam (GERD) without seeking anyone's permission.
"Ethiopia has no
obligation to request permission from anyone to fill the dam," Ethiopia’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Meles Alem told journalists at a press
briefing on Wednesday.
“Ethiopia's remarks to proceed
filling the dam regardless of the downstream countries' rights are another
evidence of unilateralism that goes beyond the scope of negotiation," Loza
said.
The Egyptian official further
condemned statements by Ethiopia that had accused Cairo of
"politicising" the Nile dam dispute.
Loza said Addis Ababa's
continued claim of Egyptian politicisation of the GERD issue is an attempt to
evade legal responsibility and reflects Ethiopia's indifference to the
principles of the international law and good neighbourliness.
The fresh row between Ethiopia
and Egypt has repeatedly received mixed reactions in Egyptian local media.
Prominent pro-state host Ahmed
Moussa said Addis Ababa intentionally built the GERD to "harm" Egypt
and Sudan.
Opposition TV host Muhammad
Nasser blamed the Egyptian government and media for not taking a stronger
stance against the issue.
Egypt fears on water supply
Egypt fears that the
multi-billion-dollar Ethiopian dam, which would be Africa's largest, will
eventually diminish its historic water supply from the Nile. However, Ethiopia
is pushing for its own water security.
Addis Ababa argues that the
dam will not have a significant impact on the natural water flow into the
downstream countries.
Last month, Ethiopia announced
that 90 percent of GERD's construction work had been completed.
Egypt has recently issued a
fresh warning against Ethiopia as it prepares to fill the dam.
Cairo said that "all
options are on the table" to deal with any threats to its water supply
posed by the Ethiopian mega dam.
"All options are open,
and all alternatives remain available. Egypt has its capabilities on dealing
with its foreign relations," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry
warned.
The dam, which is being built
near the Sudanese border, is solely financed by Ethiopians and is a crucial
project for the country's development as it is expected to provide clean
renewable energy and lift millions out of poverty.
About 65 percent of Ethiopia's
estimated 122 million population lacks access to any form of
electricity.
The much-needed electricity is
hoped to facilitate economic growth for Ethiopia and the region.
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have
been engaged in negotiations for more than a decade to settle the dispute over
Nile water resources, but the parties could not reach a final deal.
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