Ethiopian dam is public opinion issue -- Expert

CAIRO - 15 October 2019: Director of the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies Khaled Okasha on Tuesday said the Ethiopian dam is a public opinion issue and is no longer an issue to be tackled by governments.

Addressing the opening session of a conference on the dam, organized by the center, he added that this issue should be given its due priority.

The issue of the dam is a national security one which cannot be a subject to bargaining, he said, adding that its consequences will not stop at Egypt and Ethiopia alone but will also affect all peoples of the Nile Basin.

The issue will also affect stability and development not only in the whole Nile Basin region, but also in all Africa, he pointed out.

Since the start of the crisis, Egypt has adopted an approach of respect of other peoples' right to development and direct dialogue with the parties concerned within the framework of international law principles regulating the use of trans-border rivers, he confirmed.

On the other hand, the other party is adopting a policy of fait accompli in violation of the international law and the facts of geography and history, he pointed out.