September 14, 2009 (CAIRO) — The Egyptian government for the first time appeared resigned to the inevitability of a “Yes” vote in the 2011 referendum in South Sudan on whether they should establish their own state.
Egypt’s assistant foreign minister for African affairs Mona Omer was quoted by Al-Youm Al-Sabe’e news portal as saying that her government has prepared for the probable scenario for the secession of South Sudan from the North.
The statements come in contrast to more hard-line ones made by Omer’s boss Ahmed Aboul-Gheit in July in which he warned that separation of South Sudan would lead to proliferation of poverty and internal conflict within the new state.
Omer said that Cairo has carefully examined all possibilities in this regard adding that the Egypt has a “strong” presence in South Sudan.
“We in the South are not meager [in terms of presence] with heavy [presence] more than anybody else with strong ties with the brothers in the South in addition to a number of hospitals and experts there” she said.
Egypt has historically been wary of splitting Sudan up for fear that it will affect its share of the Nile waters, which it considers its lifeline.
But the Egyptian official downplayed any possible issues on the Nile water share arising from an independent South Sudan.
“The framework agreement achieves the goals of states including those of South Sudan if it separates,” Omer said.
“The problem of the Nile basin countries is not in lack of water but in misuse,” she said.
Egypt with the aid of Sudan fought a fierce battle in July to stall an attempt by other Nile basin countries to amend the 1929 & 1959 agreements that grants Cairo the lion’s share in the river water.
With almost 80 million people, Egypt’s water demand is projected to exceed its supply by 2017, according to a government reported published last month.
The Egyptian irrigation minister Mohamed Nasr Al-Deen Allam is currently in Sudan to “coordinate views and positions” before the next round of Nile basin countries meetings.
Egypt and South Sudan are also in disagreement over the Jonglei canal which is a hydro-construction project in Upper Nile Province of southern Sudan designed to alter the course of the White Nile as it passes through a swampy area in southern Sudan known as the Sudd.
According to Egyptian officials, the purpose of the canal was to ensure the flow of 4.7 billion cubic meters of water annually, to be equally distributed between Egypt and Sudan. However, the canal project was put to a halt in 1983 following the outbreak of the North-South civil war.
(ST)
حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية