AP Speaker Urges UNSC President to Take Firm Action on GERD Crisis

The Arab Parliament (AP) Speaker Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoumi sent on Tuesday an urgent message to the UN Security Council (UNSC) President Nicolas de Riviere ahead of the scheduled session, set to be held on Thursday 8th July, at the request of Egypt and Sudan to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.

 

In his letter, al-Assoumi called on the UNSC to assume its responsibilities entrusted to it by the international community to maintain international peace and security, and to take a firm position during this session, leading to a fair and binding agreement on the GERD's filling and operation rules.

In his address to the UNSC President, AP speaker said: “The message does not only come from the Arab Parliament responsibility regarding solidarity with two of its member states and their support in preserving their legal and historical rights in the Nile waters, but also based on the rules of international law, charters, and agreements that govern international rivers."

"Since the Nile is an international river and its joint ownership by all the riparian countries, and it is not permissible to extend sovereignty over it or seek to monopolize it by any party in any way, and it is absolutely unacceptable to impose a new reality controlled by countries source and downstream countries," he added.

Al-Assoumi confirmed that both Egypt and Sudan participated in negotiation rounds for a decade, during which they demonstrated responsible and balanced positions which reflected their keenness to reach an agreement that takes into account the interests of all parties. However, the intransigent positions of Ethiopia prevented this agreement from being reached.

In his speech, al-Assoumi added that it has become unacceptable for the negotiation process to continue indefinitely without a solution and that a fair and balanced legal agreement must be reached that meets the interests of all parties.

The AP speaker concluded his speech by requesting the UNSC to convey this collective Arab stance to the Council, expecting it to act to maintain world peace and security.