REPORT BY Leo Odera Omolo

Ministers from the Nile Basin initiative (NBI) will be meeting soon to iron out the contentious issues that have delayed the signing of a vital agreement on the River Nile.

The corporation framework agreement on the management of the waters and the Basin was supposed was supposed to have been signed by Presidents from the region last year, but this was postponed indefinitely.

Now water and foreign Ministers have been invited for the next meeting to try and sort out the contentious issues that had caused the delay.

The NBI regional project Manager Gordon Mumbo, said a date is not yet been decided for the next meeting which aimed at ironing out contentious issues contained there in the document and the sharing of River Nile waters to end perennial conflicts.

“We are consulting to agree on a date that would be favorable to Ministers because it is important they all attend to seal the deal.”, Mumbo said in a recent interview at his Entebbe office, Uganda.

He further stated the leaders would meet under confidence building and stakeholder involvement project..

On the contentious clauses in the document that had made heads of states to decline to append their signatures to operationalise it.

The contentious are ion article 146 about water security, he said adding that the leaders and experts would deliberate on the issue and decide the way forward.

The Ministers will brief their respective Presidents on the meeting and convince them to sign the document.

Member countries include Kenya, Burundi, DRC Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

He further disclosed that the document had been drafted but the countries had not agreed on water security clauses

He further disclosed that Egypt and Sudan was not ready to allow other countries share the water.

NBI Executive director Henriette Ndombe said the signing of the document was long over due. He added that the delay in reaching an agreement frustrated efforts to sustain achievements at NBI

End

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:41:40 -0800 [01/15/2009 06:41:40 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: FOREIGN AND WATER MINISTERS IN THE RIVER NILE BASIN TO MEET SOON TO IRON OUT CRUCIAL ISSUES THAT PREVENTED AGREEMENT