Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said his country “will not allow any new dams to be built on the Nile” unless agreed to in advance and carried out under international law, marking Cairo’s firmest position in years on the water dispute with Ethiopia.
In an hour-long interview broadcast on Sunday night on the Saudi network MBC, Mr Abdelatty said Egypt remained committed to lawful and diplomatic means, but would respond with “appropriate and firm measures” if its water rights were threatened.
“Any new dams that are not built by prior notification and co-ordination will face an Egyptian reaction,” he said. “Our actions will be strong, lawful, and consistent with the United Nations Charter.”
Egypt and Ethiopia have been locked in a bitter dispute for more than a decade over the anticipated effects of a vast hydroelectric dam that Addis Ababa completed this year.
Egypt, which relies on the Nile for nearly all its freshwater needs, views the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as an existential threat, contending it will reduce its vital share of the river’s water and give Ethiopia unacceptable control over its downstream flow at times of drought.
Egypt’s problem “is not with the Ethiopian people” but with “the unilateral conduct of the Ethiopian government”, said Mr Abdelatty.
He described recent developments within the Nile Basin Initiative as “a major diplomatic success for Egypt”. Talks reopened into the Co‑operative Framework Agreement − a long-stalled motion to transform the initiative into the Nile Basin Commission, an overarching authority to manage the Nile’s waters.
There had been two opposing blocs in the negotiations, with Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea demanding a greater role for downstream members of the initiative. An opposing bloc headed by Ethiopia imposed terms that were deemed unacceptable, leading to a stalemate.
Experts argue that the talks collapsed because the initiative is not feasible without Egypt and Sudan as signatories.
A new round of ministerial talks held this month in Burundi brought both groups together for the first time in years “in a genuine consultative process”, Mr Abdelatty said.
The meeting produced “a historic outcome”, an agreement, endorsed by seven participating states, to reopen the 2010 framework for amendments that can allow downstream countries to rejoin once their concerns are accommodated.
“If consensus is reached, Egypt will return strongly to the initiative and support its transformation into a Nile Water Commission,” he said. “Our basic principle is clear: Egypt cannot compromise or neglect its water rights.”
Egypt and Sudan had been in negotiations with Ethiopia, demanding Addis Ababa enters into a legally binding agreement on the operation and management of the dam.
Countering ‘colonial’ narrative
Egypt has worked hard to counter the narrative that it has historically hoarded the Nile’s waters and that it stood against African development, Mr Abdelatty said. He believes that view has largely changed, calling this a “success for the Foreign Ministry’s efforts”.
Mr Abdelatty said the “false narrative” has also been propagated by Ethiopia’s leadership, which has accused Egypt of having a “colonial stance” on African development.
He highlighted the approval of 34 new water projects for southern‑basin countries, including Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan.
“We have now created, for the first time in our history, a sizeable fund, denominated in dollars from the Egyptian budget to implement water and development projects in the southern basin,” he told MBC, “This corrects an important narrative and shows that Egypt supports our fellow Africans’ right to progress, while safeguarding our national interest.”
Mr Abdelatty also touched upon refugees in Egypt and the need for burden-sharing. He said the number of refugees and migrants in Egypt now exceeds 10 million − up from about 9 million last year.
He distinguished between registered refugees and a much larger unregistered population integrated across Egyptian cities.
The minister singled out the EU as having a distinct responsibility to play a more hands-on role in taking care of refugees in Egypt.
“It is impossible for Egypt to continue bearing this burden alone,” he said. “If these countries do not share in the costs, they must face the consequences. They have to face the fact that for many refugees, Egypt is a transit country and most want to end up in Europe.”
Mr Abdelatty also rejected claims that Egypt profits from hosting refugees and said that, in fact, it often has to cover funding shortfalls out of pocket.
“We do not ask for money for refugees − not one pound,” he said. “We only ask that partners be present here to ensure aid reaches those in need and to expand registration under the UN refugee agency.”
At the same time, he noted, Egyptian citizens have “every right to ask legitimate questions” about how refugee policies operate and what limits the state can bear.
He said recent legislation now allows the Egyptian government itself to determine refugee status for the first time, aligning with UN protocols but giving Cairo greater control over who qualifies for protection.
Any foreign resident, he added, “has a full obligation to respect Egyptian law and refrain from illegal activities”.
‘Careful’ ties with Damascus
Mr Abdelatty also addressed public impressions that Egypt has been cautious or distant towards the new authorities in Syria, saying Cairo’s position “is completely clear”.
He said Egypt “wishes all the best for the Syrian people and the existing Syrian government”, but that ties are “careful” and guided by concern for Syria’s stability, following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.
He reaffirmed that “Egypt’s positions are firm and unchanging”, noting that Cairo continues to condemn “repeated Israeli aggression” and “the occupation of Syrian territories”.
Egypt remains in contact with Syrian officials, including President Ahmad Al Shara, who was received in Cairo earlier this year.
Mr Abdelatty said Egypt offers “advice to our brothers in Syria” to preserve the country’s unity and ensure an inclusive political system that protects all sects and ethnic groups.
However, he explained that Cairo is concerned about the presence of foreign fighters, and said that terrorism there “must be addressed, so that Syria does not become a source of threat to its neighbours”.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
If you go…
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
If you go…
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
Lions 23, Sharks 21
Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Hurricanes 31-31 Lions
Wellington Hurricanes:
Tries: Gibbins, Laumape, Goosen, Fifita tries, Barrett
Conversions: Barrett (4)
Penalties: Barrett
British & Irish Lions:
Tries: Seymour (2), North
Conversions: Biggar (2)
Penalties: Biggar (4)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
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How to donate
Text the following numbers:
2289 – Dh10
6025 – Dh 20
2252 – Dh 50
2208 – Dh 100
6020 – Dh 200
*numbers work for both Etisalat and du
Who is Ramon Tribulietx?
Born in Spain, Tribulietx took sole charge of Auckland in 2010 and has gone on to lead the club to 14 trophies, including seven successive Oceania Champions League crowns. Has been tipped for the vacant New Zealand national team job following Anthony Hudson’s resignation last month. Had previously been considered for the role.
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up