The Arab League responds to the possibility of its mediation in the “Renaissance Dam” crisis

The Arab League responded to the possibility of mediating in the Renaissance Dam crisis, as does the African Union, against the background of the stalled negotiations between the three countries (Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia) to reach a solution that satisfies all parties.
Moscow – Sputnik. The Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Hossam Zaki, said, in an interview with “Sputnik”, that the League cannot play a mediating role in the Renaissance Dam crisis, explaining that the League stands next to Egypt and Sudan in exchange for Ethiopia.

He said: “There is a difference between the role of the League and the role of the African Union, because the League has two members or two parties to the crisis, while the Union has three parties,” noting that “Ethiopia is the one that resorted to the African Union to intervene, but the Arab League has decisions that support the position of its two member states, Egypt and Sudan.” .

It is noteworthy that the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, last month, that the second filling of the Renaissance Dam took place in the quantity that was previously scheduled, which is 13.5 billion cubic meters, stressing at the time that this filling will not harm Egypt and Sudan.

Since 2011, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have been negotiating an agreement on filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, which is intended to be the largest source of hydroelectric power in Africa, with a capacity of 6,500 megawatts. In March 2015, the leaders of Egypt and Sudan and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia signed in Khartoum a Declaration of Principles agreement with the aim of overcoming differences.

Ethiopia believes that the dam is necessary to achieve economic development, while Egypt considers it a vital threat to it, as the Nile provides it with about 97% of its irrigation and drinking water. Ethiopia insists that the issue of the dam does not threaten international peace and security, and therefore does not require the convening of the Security Council.