Morsi holds national dialogue over Ethiopia's planned dam

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi held a national dialogue session on Monday with different political forces and parties to discuss a report by the tripartite technical committee on Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam, which is expected to be built on the River Nile. During the dialogue session, aired on Egyptian state TV, Morsi noted that water level of Egypt's Nasser Lake might be affected by the planned dam and that the power generation of Egypt's High Dam might also be decreased by 18 percent, besides other economic, agricultural and environmental effects of the dam. The dialogue session was attended by representatives of Islamist parties, such as ruling Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Salafist Al-Nour Party and moderate Al-Wasat Party, and opposition parties including liberal parties Egypt Freedom, Ghad al-Thawra and Al-Wafd, as well as national figures and representatives of religious institutions Al-Azhar and the Church. On Thursday, Ethiopia started diversion of the course of the Blue Nile, one of the River Nile's two basic tributaries, as a preparatory step for building its aspired Renaissance Dam. "The Ethiopian prime minister assured me that Egypt's share of Nile water will not be decreased by a single glass of water by the dam," Morsi told the attendees, adding that Ethiopia's PM Hailemariam Desalegn has recently said the same to his Egyptian counterpart Hesham Qandil. The Egyptian president said that Egypt would not merely count on these promises and therefore convened this national dialogue session. "We will take all measures and procedures to protect our Egyptian water security," said Morsi. Some of the attendees recommended forming a crisis-management team to hold technical, diplomatic and political talks with other concerned parties, particularly Ethiopia. "I also recommend that the Egyptian people be informed of the results of the technical report so that the public opinion could be enlightened," said Egypt Freedom Party leader Amr Hamzawi. "Egypt's water is a matter of national security and all options are open in dealing with the dam issue," FJP leader Mohamed Saad al-Katatni said during the session. Al-Nour Party chief Younis Makhyoun said that Egypt's agreement on the establishment of the Ethiopian dam was "unsuccessful," urging all political forces to unite for the sake of national interests. Some participants recommended more Egyptian approach and communication with neighboring countries in general, arguing that the former regime of Hosni Mubarak severed Egypt's ties with African states decades ago. The participants agreed that the results of the technical report were discouraging, but that a military solution for the issue was excluded. Morsi said the presidency would study all recommendations and would re-invite the absent parties and figures to participate in the coming session. Meanwhile, two high-level delegations from the irrigation ministries of Sudan and Burkina Faso arrived in Cairo on Monday for a several-day visit to held talks with Egyptian counterparts on the Ethiopian dam issue.