Ethiopia is condemning an Egyptian proposal for water allocation amid tense negotiations over the countries’ use of Nile River waters.In an FILE — In this May 11, 2016 file photo, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry listens during a press conference after heading a Security Council meeting on terrorism, at U.N. headquarters.In a statement to Parliament on Wednesday, Egypt’s foreign minister warned Ethiopia not to proceed without agreement from all parties.”Ethiopia’s moving forward with the operation and filling of the Renaissance Dam is unacceptable and a clear violation of the Declaration of Principles, and will have negative consequences for stability in the region,” Egyptian Foreign Minister FILE – The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, Sept. 26, 2019.”We are certainly seeing a rapid escalation and rhetoric from the Egyptian side. So, it definitely signals a departure and strategy on the part of the Egyptians to try to alter the course of negotiations,” said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.”I don’t think you can rule out the prospect of a military conflict, but I think that’s unlikely,” he told VOA. “(Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) el-Sisi has acknowledged at an earlier time that this issue isn’t something that can be solved through military activity, and all sides have committed at earlier times to try to resolve the differences through negotiations.”‘Enough water for everyone’William Davison, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Ethiopia, said Egypt is concerned the dam could be the first of several upstream projects on the Nile. But he believes the river can benefit all countries in the region, if projects are properly managed.”We know a compromise is achievable. And I think that’s wrapped up in the larger concern Egypt has that we should all remember — that it’s not just a technical compromise on GERD … but it’s also a massive compromise involving all Nile basin countries,” Davison told VOA.”Yes, there might be trade-offs,” Davison said, “but there’s certainly enough water there for everyone.”Davison added that it is in Egypt’s best interest to come to an agreement soon, because, he said, Ethiopia is moving ahead with the project and will not be deterred.”Time is essentially running out — primarily for Egypt, because Egypt is the country that has the most to lose, if a compromise isn’t reached,” Davison said. “Egypt has the most at risk here.”
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