The Arab League calls on the Security Council to hold an emergency session on the Renaissance Dam

Today, Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the Arab League member states called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session to consult on developments in the Renaissance Dam.

In the Qatari capital, Doha, with the participation of 17 foreign ministers, the first consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers was held today, following the agreement reached by the ministers last February, which called for the importance of intensifying consultative meetings.

 In a statement after the meeting, the Arab ministers also urged the Security Council to "take the necessary measures to launch an effective negotiating process that ensures a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement that takes into account the interests of the three countries" (Egypt and Sudan), downstream countries and Ethiopia.

The statement called on Ethiopia to "refrain from taking any unilateral measures that harm the water interests of Egypt and Sudan, including refraining from filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir without reaching an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam."

The meeting called on Tunisia, the current member of the Security Council, as well as the committee formed by a decision of the Arab League Council in its extraordinary session on June 23, 2020, and charged with following up the developments of the file and coordinating with the UN Security Council in this regard, which includes Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq and the General Secretariat to intensify its efforts and continue to Close coordination with Sudan and Egypt on future steps in this file.

The statement stressed the importance of "negotiating in good faith in order to urgently reach a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement on the Renaissance Dam that achieves the common interests of the three countries and preserves the rights of Egypt and Sudan."

The ministers expressed concern about the stalled negotiations that took place under the auspices of the African Union due to the positions adopted by Ethiopia, especially during the ministerial meeting held in Kinshasa on 4-5 April 2021.

The meeting also expressed deep concern about Ethiopia's announcement of its intention to continue filling the Renaissance Dam during the next flood season, this summer.

The meeting considered the Ethiopian moves "contrary to the applicable rules of international law, especially the Declaration of Principles Agreement concluded between the three countries in Khartoum on March 23, 2015, which causes damage to the water interests of Egypt and Sudan, especially the water facilities in Sudan, the most important of which is the Roseires Dam."

The Arab League Council congratulated the United Arab Emirates on the occasion of its non-permanent membership in the Security Council for the period 2022-2023.

He thanked Tunisia for its efforts in defending Arab issues and working to strengthen cooperation between the Arab League and the United Nations during its membership in the Security Council in the years 2020-2021.

The meeting discussed developments in the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file and Iranian behavior in the region, as well as the issue of Arab dealings with the Syrian crisis and how to maximize the Arab role in this regard.

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