President Sisi assures that there is good cooperation between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan regarding the Ethiopian dam, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry announces one month deadline to resolve technical matters.
‘No crisis’ between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia: Sisi
President Sisi assures that there is good cooperation between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan regarding the Ethiopian dam, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry announces one month deadline to resolve technical matters.
Egypt Independent
On the sidelines of the AU summit, Sisi held a trilateral summit with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn. Sisi emphasized the strength of relations and cooperation between the three countries, as he met a number of African leaders to discuss cooperation.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Sisi, Bashir, and Desalegn agreed during the summit to resolve all technical matters related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) within one month, without a mediator party.
In response to questions by reporters on whether the crisis caused by the GERD had been resolved, Sisi proclaimed to the Egyptian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese people: “Be absolutely reassured. There is no crisis. We are all one and there is no harm to any party.”
Similarly, Bashir reiterated the assurances, “there is no more crisis.”
“There are responsible leaders who met, agreed, and there is no harm to any party,” Sisi added.
“I want you to rest assured,” said Sisi, “and now it’s your role as journalists to maintain relations with countries, and not give messages that cause anxiety or hurt others,” he added, before leaving Addis Ababa for Cairo.
He revealed that there were joint committees from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia working on the issue of the dam, saying their make-up includes ministries for irrigation as well as foreign affairs of the respective countries.
Elsewhere at the summit, Sisi chaired the African Peace and Security Council, discussing the theme ‘Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Combating the Transnational Threat of Terrorism in Africa’.
Sisi also participated in a closed session where African leaders discussed institutional reform of the African Union, and other items on the agenda of the 30th session of the AU summit.
‘The interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are one,’ President Sisi says after tripartite summit in Addis Ababa
Egypt’s FM Shoukry said that Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa have agreed to resolve all disagreements on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam technical issues within one month
Ahram Online , Monday 29 Jan 2018
Following a tripartite summit between the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in the Ethiopian capital on Monday to discuss differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renainssance Dam, Egypt’s president told reporters, “People should be assured. None of [us three] countries – Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia – will be harmed.”President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi added, “Egypt’s interests are one with Ethiopia’s and also one with Sudan’s. We are speaking as one voice.”
In a response to a question by reporters on whether the crisis over the dam has been resolved, El-Sisi said, “There is no crisis.”
Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir concurred with El-Sisi, saying, “There is no more crisis.”
Immediately after the end of the summit, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in press statements that the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed on resolving all disagreements on the technical issues on the Ethiopian dam within one month.
“There are no mediators in the Renaissance Dam negotiations,” Shoukry added.
The meeting between El-Sisi, Al-Bashir and Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn, which came on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, aimed at breaking the deadlock in negotiations over disputes on the impact of the GERD on downstream countries.
Ethiopia and Sudan have not accepted the results of a report issued in March 2017 by a European consultancy firm on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries, which concluded that the speed of construction could negatively affect Egypt’s water share.
Ethiopia has reportedly rejected a recent proposal by Cairo to involve the World Bank in the stalled technical negotiations.
El-Sisi has been in Addis Ababa since Saturday to participate in the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which is taking place from 22 to 29 January.
On Saturday, El-Sisi chaired a meeting by the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the AU body in charge of maintaining continental peace and security, which Egypt is heading in January.
Egypt-Ethiopia-Sudan Summit to Discuss Stalled ‘Renaissance Dam’ Negotiations
Sudan’s Ambassador to Egypt Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim expected to return to Cairo soon to resume his mission, after he was summoned for consultations on Jan. 4.
“After the end of the African Union summit (currently held in Ethiopia), the date of the return will be set,” Abdel Halim said, in reference to the improvement of relations between the two countries.
Egypt and Sudan saw tense relations over the past month, due to differences over the Halayeb Triangle and Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam, in addition to Sudanese accusations, despite Cairo’s denial that it supports rebels against the regime of President Omar al-Bashir.
Tension reached its peak with Sudan’s decision to recall its ambassador in Cairo for consultations, with Cairo reacting calmly and cautiously on the official level, accusing regional states of seeking to strain relations between the two countries.
On the sidelines of the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir in the first meeting since the diplomatic crisis erupted on January 4.
The two leaders said they had agreed to form a ministerial committee to deal with all bilateral issues and overcome all obstacles they might face.
Abdel Halim described the Egyptian-Sudanese summit as “very positive and important,” pointing out in a statement cited by the Middle East News Agency: “We have seen a transparent atmosphere between Presidents Sisi and Bashir. This atmosphere will be reflected on relations between the two countries, which are based on common interests.
“The two presidents agreed to form a committee comprising the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence and national security to develop a roadmap on how to address concerns and outstanding issues,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the presidents of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will meet in Addis Ababa on Monday to try to break the technical deadlock over the Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia is building on the Nile to generate electricity. Egypt says it threatens its share of the River’s water.
“The aim is to agree on the resumption of the consultations,” said a diplomat attending the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital.
The diplomat was speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.