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Amr Kandil – Ahram Online
“The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reject any act or measure that harms the Egyptian and Sudanese rights in the River Nile”, said the final communique at the end of the 42ndmeeting of the GCC summit held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for a decade now to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement over the GERD. The agreement would secure their water interests, rights and end their related concerns over the dam’s impact on the quantity of water reaching the two countries.
“The Supreme Council affirmed that the water security of the Republic of the Sudan and the Arab Republic of Egypt is an integral part of the Arab national security”, the communique read.
The council called for the resumption of negotiations between the three parties to reach a fair and binding solution to the GERD issue in accordance with international laws and standards.
“The GCC summit covered number of topics in the region, including the Palestinian cause, tensions with Iran, the war in Yemen, the crisis in Syria, and stability in Lebanon besides counterterrorism efforts”, according to the communique.
On Sunday, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and the GCC countries held their first political consultation mechanism in Riyadh with the participation of the GCC’s Secretary General Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf.
During the meeting, the GCC expressed its support for the Egyptian national security, including its water rights, stressing that Egypt plays a pivotal role in supporting security and stability in the region.
