On March 23, 2015, media lenses captured a famous photo of the leaders of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia at the time, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Omar Al-Bashir and Haile Mariam Desalegn, all three of whom were smiling and holding hands as a sign of unity, after they signed in Khartoum what was known as the Declaration of Principles Document on the Renaissance Dam. .

The smile did not happen again, and Bashir and Desalegn left the authority of their countries, while Sisi remained so far

But the most important thing is that the unity of the situation has not been achieved between the three parties since that moment. Rather, Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa entered into a series of disagreements within a dark negotiation tunnel that lasted for about 6 years.

Every time the tripartite negotiations failed or those in which some countries or regional and international entities interfered with a kind of mediation and care, and with every Ethiopian statement intending to store water in front of the dam, all eyes returned to the scene of the signing of the Declaration of Principles agreement.

According to numerous Ethiopian statements, Addis Ababa is based on this agreement to legitimize the completion of the filling of the Renaissance Dam without referring to both Cairo and Khartoum, despite the failure of all negotiations, the most recent of which was held earlier this week in Kinshasa (the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

At the same time, the Egyptian opposition blames President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for signing an agreement that it considers a waste of Egypt's historical rights in the Nile, while supporters of the authority say that the agreement is devoid of any legitimization claimed by Ethiopia or a waste of Egypt's historical rights in the waters of the Nile River.

Ethiopia is preparing for the second filling of the Renaissance Dam, next July, which Cairo and Khartoum say will seriously affect their share of the Nile water.

Consequently, these divergent views call for a look at the Declaration of Principles Agreement, by returning to the text that the parties to the crisis signed about 6 years ago.

Terms of the agreement

According to the State Information Service (an Egyptian government agency), the agreement stipulates 10 articles or principles, which are:

First principle: cooperation

Cooperation based on mutual understanding, mutual benefit, good intentions, benefits for all, and the principles of international law.

Cooperation in understanding the water needs of upstream and downstream countries in their various aspects.

The second principle: development, regional integration and sustainability

The purpose of the Grand Renaissance Dam is to generate energy, contribute to economic development, and promote cross-border cooperation and regional integration by generating clean, sustainable and reliable energy.

The third principle: not to cause significant harm

- The three countries will take all appropriate measures to avoid causing significant damage during their use of the Blue Nile / Main River.

- In spite of that, when significant harm occurs to a country, the state causing this harm to it, in the absence of agreement about this act, take all appropriate measures in coordination with the affected state to mitigate or prevent this damage, and discuss the issue of compensation whenever that is. suitable.

Principle four: fair and appropriate use

- The three countries will use their shared water resources in their regions in a fair and appropriate manner.

To ensure fair and appropriate use, the three countries will take into account all the relevant guiding elements listed below, not limited to:

A- Geographical, hydrographic, hydrological, climatic, environmental and other elements of a natural nature.

B - The social and economic needs of the concerned basin countries.

C - The people who depend on water resources in each of the Nile Basin countries.

D - The effects of the use or uses of water resources in one of the basin countries on the other basin countries.

E - current and potential uses of water resources, factors of conservation, protection, development, economics of using water resources, and the cost of the measures taken in this regard.

G- The extent of availability of comparative value alternatives for a planned or specified use.

H - the extent of the contribution of each of the basin countries to the Nile River system.

I- The extension and percentage of the basin area within the territory of each basin country.

Fifth principle: cooperation in first filling and dam management

- Implementation of the recommendations of the International Committee of Experts, and respect for the final outputs of the final report of the Tripartite Committee of Experts on the studies recommended in the final report of the International Committee of Experts during the various stages of the project.

- The three countries use, in a spirit of cooperation, the final outputs of the joint studies recommended in the report of the International Committee of Experts and agreed upon by the Tripartite Committee of Experts, with the purpose of:

* Agreeing on the guidelines and rules for the first filling of the Renaissance Dam, which will include all different scenarios, in parallel with the construction process of the dam.

* Agreeing on the guidelines and rules for the annual operation of the Renaissance Dam, which the owner of the dam may adjust from time to time.

Notifying the downstream country of any unforeseen or emergency circumstances that require resetting the dam operation.

- To ensure continuity of cooperation and coordination over the operation of the Renaissance Dam with the reservoirs of the two downstream countries, the three countries will establish, through the ministries concerned with water, an appropriate coordination mechanism between them.

The time frame for implementing the above-mentioned process will take 15 months from the start of preparing the two studies recommended by the International Committee of Experts.

Sixth Principle: Building Trust

Downstream countries will be given priority in purchasing power generated from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The seventh principle: the exchange of information and data

- Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will provide the necessary data and information to conduct joint studies for the National Experts Committee, in a spirit of goodwill and in an appropriate time.

The eighth principle: the safety of the dam

- The three countries appreciate the efforts made by Ethiopia so far to implement the recommendations of the International Committee of Experts related to the safety of the dam.

- Ethiopia will, in good faith, complete the full implementation of the recommendations regarding the safety of the dam contained in the report of the International Committee of Experts.

The ninth principle: the sovereignty and unity of the state's territory

- The three countries will cooperate on the basis of equal sovereignty, the unity of the state’s territory, mutual benefit and goodwill, with the aim of achieving optimal use and appropriate protection of the river.

The tenth principle: the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes

- The three countries shall settle their disputes arising from the interpretation or implementation of this agreement by consensus, through consultations or negotiations, in accordance with the principle of good intentions.

If the parties do not succeed in resolving the dispute through consultations or negotiations, they can collectively seek conciliation through mediation or refer the matter to the attention of the heads of state / prime minister.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam raises Egypt's fears of a diminishing share of the Nile water (communication sites)