Cairo scrambles to restart Entebbe negotiations
The latest developments relating to the Entebbe Agreement underscore the disputes surrounding the controversial pact, such as its importance in terms of guaranteeing Egypt’s right to the Nile water and its impact on international relations.
CAIRO — June 4 is the scheduled date for the Nile Basin Water Ministers meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, which Egyptians view as Cairo’s last chance to reopen negotiations with Nile basin countries concerning contentious issues relating to the new Entebbe Agreement before its ratification and final implementation. The agreement provides for the establishment of a commission tasked with managing usufruct of the Nile water. The agreement’s entry into force remains dependent upon its ratification by six parliaments of Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) member states.
All NBI member states are expected to attend the meeting in Arusha — Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan — plus Eritrea, which has NBI observer status.
Contentious issues include the distribution of Nile water between downstream Egypt and Sudan. Moreover, the mechanisms used for taking decisions are also causing disputes. Egypt insists that decisions be taken unanimously rather than by majority — as upstream countries outnumber downstream countries and thus have an advantage. The third disputed clause is related to the prior notification of projects. Cairo and Sudan insist on including an obligation to notify them of any project before it starts to ensure that their interests are not harmed.
After 10 years of negotiations, the Entebbe Agreement was signed in 2010 by six Nile Basin countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi. It was, however, rejected by Egypt and Sudan, due to its provisions allowing the reallocation of Nile water quotas, and the agreement’s disregard of the 1959 agreement that had granted Cairo an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters and Sudan an annual quota of 18.5 billion cubic meters. Congo also refused to sign the agreement.
