The Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has stated in a televised address that his country is ready to deal with any threat that will come from Ethiopia on the dispute over the Nile River.

President Morsi said all options are still available to deal with what he described as the Ethiopian threat on the Nile but was quick to add that he was not calling for war against one of the oldest and historical country of Africa.

He said in an emotive language that Egyptians will not accept any reduction in the flow of the river on which their civilization has been based from time immemorial.

“Egypt’s water security cannot be violated in any way, as head of state, I confirm to you that all options are open….. We are not calling for war, but we will never permit our water security to be threatened’’, President Morsi noted.

“We have no objections to the development projects in the Nile Basin states, but on condition that those projects do not affect our legal and historical rights’’, further said.

“If Egypt is the Nile’s gift, then the Nile is gifts to Egypt, the lives of the Egyptians are connected around it… as one great people. If it diminishes by one drop then our blood is the alternative’’, President Morsi added amid cheering of crowd.

Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr reportedly told the Egyptian state news agency, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) on Sunday that any obstacle to the Nile River’s flow is a threat to national survival of the Egyptian people and that Egypt will not give up any single drop of the Nile water.

Ethiopia started diverting the flow of the Blue Nile in preparation for the building of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam of $4.2bn hydroelectric power which will be the biggest in Africa if completed.

The Blue Nile is one of two major tributaries of the Egyptian Nile and Egypt considers the building of the dam by the Ethiopians as a threat that will reduce the water level of the Nile which the Egyptians heavily depend on.

Ethiopia reportedly summoned the Egyptian ambassador last week to answer some questions, after politicians in Cairo were caught unaware on state television suggesting military action or supporting Ethiopian rebels to destabilize Ethiopia in an attempt to disrupt the building of the dam.

The Ethiopian government has stated clearly that it would not bow to the Egyptian pressure over building the hydro dam since the dam is not going to Egypt.

Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel is due to visit Ethiopia this week to hold talks with the Ethiopian Government on how the issue can be resolved diplomatically.

Ethiopia’s decision to construct the dam challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic metres.

If the dam is completed, it will be a Grand Ethiopian Renaissance which would be Africa’s largest dam ever in the history of the African Continent.

The dam is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts of power and its reservoir is scheduled to start filling next year.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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