GERD Places Great Responsibility on Security Council, Op-ed

Tomorrow, the UN Security Council writes a new line in the book of the Nile life, which extends in the conscience of the Egyptians through millions of years, in an emergency session upon Egypt’s request to discuss the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

After 9 years of negotiations, and following Ethiopia's recent insistence on filling the dam and seizing quantities of water as of next July, regardless of reaching an agreement with the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan, Egypt found itself obliged to raise the issue with the council entrusted with keeping peace among countries.

Millions have listened to what President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi emphasized since the people chose him on June 30, 2014 to be the president of the republic, as he declared that he recognizes Ethiopia’s right to development that does not affect Egypt’s right to life.

No Ethiopian government has dared throughout the past century since signing 1902 agreement among Egypt, Ethiopia and Britain to touch the share of Egypt and Sudan in the waters of the Nile, since the agreement explicitly stated in its third article that: "The Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II promises not to build or permit any constructions on the Blue Nile, Lake Tana or Sobat. "

For nearly a hundred years, no one was able to violate the right of Egypt that was decided by the agreement, except during the f the events of 2011 .. When Ethiopia exploited the unrest as if things were arranged with the Muslim Brotherhood to lay the foundation stone for the dam during the visit of the Muslim Brotherhood’s president to Addis Ababa.

I say that before the Black Brotherhood era, no one dared to touch  Egypt’s right or claimed that the agreement does not have compulsory power for Ethiopia, as the right of Egypt is guaranteed by hundreds of international documents, the simplest of which, in my view, is the atlas, which was included in the curriculum  of the secondary stage in Egyptian schools in 1913.

We all know that the problem is not new, but what is new in the Security Council tomorrow and every day is Egypt's position before the international community and its African family. Our right in the crisis raised before the Council on the waters of the Nile is clear, but this crisis will have serious consequences if our right isn’t approved as the world and Egypt will be driven  to a water famine threatening  the outbreak of wars of fate, wars on water, the source of life.

Therefore, the Security Council session is important as the Egyptian diplomacy put the council before a difficult test. its answer, in my view, does not have choices, because it is one answer, that is keen on keeping  international peace and security as The right of Egyptians to life contradicts with evasive, procrastination or playing with fire.

Egypt will win and start a new era in which we will all feel safe while our right to water will be preserved. Egypt during the era of president  Sisi, the loyal patriotic president, is strong and its right will never be lost. Can the Security Council implement its obligations and decisions, or has it lost its ability to establish justice and maintain peace ?