The Arab Parliament (AP) Speaker Adel bin Abdel Rahman Assoumi called upon the United Nations Security Council to live up to its responsibilities in maintaining world peace and security and act to reach a legally-binding and just agreement on the filling and operation of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
In an urgent message to Security Council President Nicolas de Rivière Tuesday ahead of the scheduled session set to be held tomorrow, Assoumi said the Arab Parliament is not only showing support for two member states in heir moves to maintain their legal and historical water rights, but it is also acting in accordance with rules of international law and norms that govern transboundary rivers.
“Since the Nile is an international river and as it is a joint ownership by all the riparian countries, it is not permissible for any party to extend sovereignty over it or seek to monopolise in any way, and it is absolutely unacceptable to impose a new reality by the source country over downstream countries,” he added.
Both Egypt and Sudan have participated with good faith in negotiating rounds for almost 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 have prevented reaching an agreement.
The AP speaker requested that this collective Arab stance be conveyed to the UNSC, expecting it to act to maintain world peace and security.
