Saudi Arabia accuses Ethiopia of posing threats to Sudan & Egypt

[BLACKEAGLE]

- Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister and Inspector General for Military Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, in unusual rebuke, unleashed a barrage of attack against Ethiopia saying that the Horn of Africa nation is posing a threat to the Nile water rights of Egypt and Sudan.

The massive $4.8 billion dam is under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2015. It lies close to Sudan’s eastern borders and has a power generating capacity of 6,000MW and when completed it will enable Ethiopia to export more power to its neighbors.

“The [Grand] Renaissance dam has its capacity of flood waters reaching more than 70 billion cubic meters of water, and is located at an altitude of 700 meters and if it collapsed then Khartoum will be drowned completely and the impact will even reach the Aswan Dam.”

“Egypt is the most affected party from the Ethiopian Renaissance dam because they have no alternative water source compared to other Nile Basin countries and the establishment of the dam 12 kilometers from the Sudanese border is for political plotting rather than for economic gain and constitutes a threat to Egyptian and Sudanese national security, ” said the Saudi official at the meetings of the Arab Water Council in Cairo.

Egypt fears that the Nile dam will reduce the flow of the river’s waters further downstream and Addis Ababa has long complained that Cairo was pressuring donor countries and international lenders to withhold funding.

An international panel of experts is set to announce its findings on the impact of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile’s flow in May 2013.

The Saudi deputy defense minister went further saying that Ethiopia is keen on harming Arab nations.

“There are fingers messing with water resources of Sudan and Egypt which are rooted in the mind and body of Ethiopia. They do not forsake an opportunity to harm Arabs without taking advantage of it,” Prince Khalid said.

“The establishment of the dam leads to the transfer of water supply from the front of Lake Nasser to the Ethiopian plateau, which means full Ethiopian control of every drop of water, as well as [causing] an environmental imbalance stirring seismic activity in the region as a result of the massive water weight laden with silt withheld in front of the dam, estimated by experts at more than 63 billion tonnes,” he added.

The Saudi official added that Nile basin countries calling for reallocating Nile water shares is a “real threat” to Egypt’s future.

“The information is alarming and it is important that we do not underestimate the danger at the moment and its repercussions in the future,” he said.


It is unusual for Saudi officials known for being composed to make such damning criticism of other countries. It is not clear whether today’s remarks indicates hidden tensions with Ethiopia.

Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with Ethiopia, signed an agreement to overturn British-colonial-era agreements dating back to 1929.

These gave Egypt and Sudan 90 percent of the Nile’s water flow and the power of veto over dam-building, even though 85 percent of the river’s water flows from the Ethiopian highlands.

Ethiopia and the upstream states contend they need more water because of burgeoning populations, industrialization and agricultural projects.

Water needs are expected to rise as the Nile basin population is projected to reach 654 million by 2030, up from 372 million in 2005, according to UN estimates.

http://www.tesfanews.net/archives/12243

 

[BATMAN]

Who is financing this dam?

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

Saudi prince Khalid mentions military action against Ethiopia

Joint Arab plan needed to end water crisis: Khalid

Last Updated : Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:08 AM

Saudi Gazette report

CAIRO — Arab countries need to evolve an effective strategy to tackle water crisis in the region, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, Deputy Defense Minister and Honorary President of Arab Water Council, said here Wednesday.

Addressing the third session of the Arab Water Council meeting, Prince Khalid said there are certain factors and external challenges adversely affecting the management of water resources in the Arab region.

He said absence of binding water-sharing agreements between some countries is one of the reasons behind conflicts. Prince Khalid wondered whether binding and firm legislations alone would achieve justice when it comes to distribution of water resources, or whether such measures are not enough and should be militarily backed, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

“Arab countries should join forces because power is one of the three effective methods to end water crisis. The other two effective methods are will and management,” he said

Prince Khalid called on the Arab Water Council to study the recommendations of the 5th Annual Conference of Arab Forum for Environment and Development to develop water plans and studies.

He also talked about the negative consequences of building Ethiopia’s Millennium Dam, which is under construction on the Blue Nile River.

He added that Egypt would be largely affected by this dam, which is scheduled to be completed in six years, because it only has the Nile as the only water resource. Constructing this dam in Ethiopia at this location has political rather than commercial motives.

“It also threatens the water and national security for Sudan,” he said.

Prince Khalid said water problems cannot be solved without dealing with food, energy, and environment problems. The solution lies in the full cooperation among the concerned countries to achieve sustainable development.

Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zaid, Arab Water Council president, said it was important that Arab countries and people consume less water and manage this important resource judiciously.

Dr. Muhammad Baha Adeen, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, said one of the major problems facing Arab countries is the scarcity of water and the achievement of water and food security.

The Egyptian minister called upon Arab countries to manage their water resources well.

 

[somebozo]

This has clearly got something to do with a number of recent objections by Ethopian government on arable land grab at lucrative prices by GCC investors. The Saudis are just responding back with war of words! This stupid moron is behaving with his typical Arab bigotry seeing Ethopians as lesser beings whose resources are up for grab with threats of military actions just because they do not happen to be an Arab country.

Middle East investors are ploughing increasing amounts of cash into African farmland as global concerns over food security continue to rise.

Saudi Star Agricultural Development, a food company based in Ethiopia and owned by the Ethiopian-Saudi billionaire Mohammed al Amoudi, announced plans this month to invest US$2.5 billion (Dh9.18bn) in an Ethiopian rice-farming project.
The commitment comes just weeks after the Saudi company Manafea Holding announced it would invest $125 million in Zambia, in part to develop a pineapple farm and build a fruit-processing plant.
- See more at: African farmland a draw as prices rise - The National


Nicholas Lodge, the managing partner of Clarity, a new financial and agriculture consultancy in Abu Dhabi, says agricultural investment in Africa is growing.


"You are going to see more investment from the Middle East," Mr Lodge said. "Qatar and the UAE have been doing the same [as Saudi Arabia] at a government and company level."
The UN's food price index hit a record peak last month at 236 points, up 34 per cent from a year earlier.
The sharp increases in commodity prices continue to drive up food prices across the Middle East, prompting governments and companies to try to cut costs by buying directly from commodities producers.
Saudi Star plans to export two thirds of the food it will grow on the Ethiopian land, with Saudi Arabia expected to consume a large portion of the produce.

The company has leased 10,000 hectares in the Gambela region for 60 years and expects to rent a further 290,000ha from the government.
"When you have population growth in a region that's unsuitable for food production, governments and the private sector have no choice but to look to where they can get it in the future," Mr Lodge said.
It is estimated that in the past five years Saudi Arabia has invested more in Ethiopia than has any other country.
Sub-Saharan Africa has half of the world's arable land, according to the World Bank, and already Middle East companies and governments have large interests in the region.
Saudi Arabia is the largest single-country investor in Sudan, with about half of all foreign investment. The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have also invested in African agricultural land.
The demand for land is being exacerbated by rising food prices, driven in the long term by a growing world population and a burgeoning middle class in emerging markets.
Speaking at the Jeddah Economic Forum last week, Kito de Boer, the senior director for the Middle East at the management consultancy McKinsey & Company, said demand for food would rise by about 48 per cent above present levels by 2030.
In the short term, food prices have been affected by natural disasters such as heat waves in Russia and floods in Australia and Brazil.


To stay on top of rising food prices and food-security concerns, the Saudi government announced in January it had identified 27 countries for agricultural investment.
The Gulf imports about 80 per cent of its food, remaining vulnerable to price volatility.
rjones@thenational.ae
- See more at: African farmland a draw as prices rise - The National

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

Who is financing this dam?

The Ethiopian government has stated that it intends to fund the entire cost of the dam by itself.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

STRATFOR: Egypt Is Prepared To Bomb All Of Ethiopia's Nile Dams

In 2010 Egypt discussed taking military action in cooperation with Sudan against Ethiopia to protect their stake in Nile River, according to internal emails from the U.S. private-security firm Stratfor.
Egypt and Sudan currently receive 90 percent of the river’s water under colonial-era accords while upstream countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia have been clamoring for a new deal during more than a decade of talks.
The Nile flows south to north, making it one of only a handful of rivers in the world to do so and one of only two in Africa.
So, rather than Cairo sitting at the mouth of the massive water supply, it sits dead last—subject to all the whims and fancies of each upstream nation. With several factional governments upstream and the premium on fresh water, diplomacy only goes so far.
A dispatch from May 26, 2010, that cited information from a Egyptian diplomatic source points to the country's frustration:
Sudanese president Umar al-Bashir has agreed to allow the Egyptians to build an a small airbase in Kusti to accommodate Egyptian commandos who might be sent to Ethiopia to destroy water facilities on the Blue Nile... It will be their option if everything else fails
The Blue Nile, which begins in Ethiopia, contributes about 85 percent of the flow that passes through Egypt to the Mediterranean.

Ethiopia became an even bigger threat a month after the Egyptian Revolution toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 when they announced new details about the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
In April of this year Bradley Hope of the The National reported that construction had begun and that the massive project "could destabilize Egypt in a way that would make the last year of political upheaval look minuscule."
"It would lead to political, economic and social instability," Mohamed Nasr El Din Allam, Egypt's minister of water and irrigation until early last year, told Hope. "Millions of people would go hungry. There would be water shortages everywhere. It's huge."
Ethiopia is also currently struggling to fund the dam, which would need foreign aid to be completed. Egypt and Sudan have lobbied foreign donors to refrain from funding the project while they try to find a diplomatic solution to the increasingly dire water situation.
A dispatch from June 1, 2010, that cited a "high-level Egyptian security/intel source, in regular direct contact with Mubarak and [then-intelligence head Omar] Suleiman" said:
The only country that is not cooperating is Ethiopia. We are continuing to talk to them, using the diplomatic approach. Yes, we are discussing military cooperation with Sudan. ... If it comes to a crisis, we will send a jet to bomb the dam and come back in one day, simple as that. Or we can send our special forces in to block/sabotage the dam... Look back to an operation Egypt did in the mid-late 1970s, i think 1976, when Ethiopia was trying to build a large dam. We blew up the equipment while it was traveling by sea to Ethiopia.
A dispatch from July 29, 2010, that cited the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon said that Egypt and leaders of the soon-to-be independent southern region of Sudan "agreed on developing strategic relations between their two countries," including Egypt training the South Sudan military, and noted that "the horizons for Egyptian-southern Sudanese cooperation are limitless since the south needs everything."
The blog Rebel Economy notes that in 1979 Anwar Sadat, Egypt’s second president, said: “The only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water."
The government of current Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi described the Stratfor emails as hearsay “designed to disturb Egyptian-Ethiopian relations.”

 

[muse]

Thems fightin words - Why now? Why not when the dam was first planned? Does not matter how many wars and sectarian conflicts the Wahabi princes start, Democracy must come to Arabia, and with it peace and harmony, pluralism and tolerance.

 

[BATMAN]

Thems fightin words - Why now? Why not when the dam was first planned? Does not matter how many wars and sectarian conflicts the Wahabi princes start, Democracy must come to Arabia, and with it peace and harmony, pluralism and tolerance.

don't get so emotional... say some thing logical and to the subject.

If dams are sign of democracy than i fully support such democracy in Pakistan.

 

[BATMAN]

The Ethiopian government has stated that it intends to fund the entire cost of the dam by itself.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle...posing-threats-sudan-egypt.html#ixzz2MKF9RUyZ

simply, un-believable!

Ethopian govt. do not have this much money... i think it will be wise to find out the source of the funding.

If, i'm running affairs in Egypt.. i would not go crazy and bomb a half baked dam.... you know what i mean

 

[somebozo]

simply, un-believable!

Ethopian govt. do not have this much money... i think it will be wise to find out the source of the funding.

If, i'm running affairs in Egypt.. i would not go crazy and bomb a half baked dam.... you know what i mean

Because Egypt has now completely surrendered its sovereignty to you know who? It is in-effect a satellite/proxy state now!

 

[muse]

simply, un-believable!

Ethopian govt. do not have this much money... i think it will be wise to find out the source of the funding.

If, i'm running affairs in Egypt.. i would not go crazy and bomb a half baked dam.... you know what i mean

Look Ethiopia is simply building a dam and Egyt nor Sudan have lodged a objection, Why are the Saudi so steamed up? I think they need conflicts so they can deflect the attention of their population outward -- believe it or not, while they think the US has their back, the US is desperate to lose them and I thik they are beginning to understand this

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

simply, un-believable!

Ethopian govt. do not have this much money... i think it will be wise to find out the source of the funding.

If, i'm running affairs in Egypt.. i would not go crazy and bomb a half baked dam.... you know what i mean

The issue of Nile water is very serious for Egypt, as it's the only source of water to Egypt. Therefore, Egypt considered long range A 2 G target bombardment in it's armament policy, and it's mainly directed at any attempt to build dams that affect Egyptian share of water.

Ethiopia is no match to Egypt, it's like a loin with a cat, such a military attack will drag international lip service, otherwise they can't go against all Arabs as Egypt is like their heart, Saudi threat confirms this.

Thems fightin words - Why now? Why not when the dam was first planned? Does not matter how many wars and sectarian conflicts the Wahabi princes start, Democracy must come to Arabia, and with it peace and harmony, pluralism and tolerance.

No matter how much you cry and whine, KSA will always be a thorn in the eyes of Arab and Islam enemies. Don't worry, I have decided to let you vent your frustration out as you have no outlet to do so but this one.

 

[BATMAN]

Because Egypt has now completely surrendered its sovereignty to you know who? It is in-effect a satellite/proxy state now!

We were told that Egypt is free now?

I better ask some Egyptian natives, instead of building baseless opinions

 

[somebozo]

We were told, that Egypt is free now?

Yes, it is free of its sovereignty now!
In the same fashion as Afghanistan was free under Talibans!

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

We were told that Egypt is free now?

I better ask some Egyptian natives, instead of building baseless opinions

Are seriously listening to him?

 

[Serpentine]

There is a great quote attributed to Mark Twain which says:
"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."

Water is gonna be a major reason for future wars in ME and Africa and many parts of the world.I hope by that time,I have lived my life thoroughly with joy and don't see such day.