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Egypt Talks Tough Over Nile Treaty

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
NEWS
December 12, 2003
Posted to the web December 12, 2003

By Argwings Odera
Addis Ababa
Egypt has reacted strongly to Kenya's intended withdrawal from the Nile Basin
Treaty, describing it as "an act of war" against his country.
Egypt's Minister for Water Resources and Natural Resources, Mahmoud Abu-Zeid,
speaking to the East African Standard on the sidelines of a water conference in
Ethiopia, accused Kenya of breaching international law by opting out of the
treaty.
The Egyptian minister threatened that Kenya could "not lay claim to sovereignty
to protect itself from any action that Egypt may want to take".
The Nile Water Agreement is colonial relic purporting to grant Egypt exclusive
rights over the waters of the Nile.
It was signed in 1929 and ratified in 1952 and bars 10 countries, including
Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, from using the waters of Lake Victoria without
Egypt's permission.
Egypt, a desert country, is highly dependent on the waters of the Nile, whose
source is Lake Victoria.
Kenya, along with other countries in the region, has been pressing to have the
leeway to use Lake Victoria for her own development. Egypt has in the past met
similar attempts with threats of resistance.
Dr Boutros-Ghali, the former Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and
former secretary-general of the UN, recognised the potential for conflict in
the Nile Basin and predicted that the next war in the region would be over
water.
The Kenyan delegation to the meeting was yesterday morning caught by surprise
when Water Minister Martha Karua left the conference and caught a flight back
home.
Ms Karua was expected at a critical meeting taking up most of yesterday that
would, among other agreements, ratify a Ministerial committee while maintaining
the status quo over the Nile Treaty.
The Egptian minister also hinted at sanctions, saying Kenya would suffer if his
country and the other nine decided to punish it for quitting the treaty.
"This is a very serious action from one side and definitely our legal people
will be studying Egypt's response," he said.
"How will Kenya benefit by withdrawing fom the treaty?" he asked. "This action
will seriously hurt diplomatic co-operation and if you look at the laws and
regulations, this action is not right."
The Uganda Minister for Water, Lands and Environment, Ms Maria Mutagamba, said
the Kenyan action had caught them by surprise because Kenya was still part of a
team renegotiating the treaty. She said Uganda shared Kenya's concern but was
of the opinion it would have remained on the negotiating table.

   

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