The committee is expected to give President El-Sisi a “mandate” to take the measures necessary to tackle the negative impact of the GERD on Egypt
An Egyptian parliamentary ad hoc committee formed last week to discuss the impact of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will meet Sunday to discuss the measures necessary to protect Egypt’s rights in Nile water.
Soliman Wahdan, head of the ad hoc committee and deputy speaker, told reporters Saturday that Sunday’s meeting would discuss the statements delivered by Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, irrigation and water resources minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati, and housing minister Assem Al-Gazzar before parliament on 9 October.
Wahdan said the meeting would be attended by heads of parliament’s national security, irrigation, foreign relations and agriculture committees.
“A number of technical experts will be also invited to answer MPs’ questions on this issue that is highly sensitive to Egypt’s interests and national security,” said Wahdan.
Madbouly issued a statement before parliament on 9 October accusing Ethiopia of violating the Declaration of Principles signed by presidents of Egypt, Sudan and prime minister of Ethiopia on 23 March 2015 and opting to act unilaterally on the GERD.
Shoukry criticised Ethiopia for rejecting all the submitted proposals that would prevent the GERD from negatively affecting Egypt’s annual quota of River Nile water, estimated at 55 million cubic metres.
Hesham El-Hosari, head of parliament’s agriculture committee, told reporters that the ad hoc committee was expected to grant President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi a “mandate” to take all the measures necessary to protect Egypt’s rights in Nile water.
President El-Sisi and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke on the phone last week. El-Sisi revealed later in a conference that he will meet with Ahmed during the African Russian summit scheduled to be held in Russia at the end of this month, and that they will do their best to reach an agreement.
