Kedwani underlines parliament’s role

Egyptian parliamentarian Yahia Kedwani revealed that the issue of Renaissance Dam witnesses increasing developments not only every day but also every moment, condemning the critics who blame the parliament and its deputies for their ignorance of this issue.

He stressed that the Parliament has an active role in this issue, saying that the Parliament immediately summoned the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdelati and discussed at a joint government parliamentary meeting lasted for 4 hours continuously all the details that led to the complexity of the situation in this manner, and discussed the options available to us to secure water for Egyptians, and escalation scenarios also.

He added, “We can issue binding recommendations to any party that will implement them. We have consultative opinions with many parties. We have four parliamentary committees specialized in this area specifically: the African Affairs, Irrigation and Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Committees.”

He also asserted Egypt's insistence to increase the number of spillways in the dam to guarantee the continued flow of water, especially in the emergency times, to the downstream countries: Egypt and Sudan. He added that The parliament presented to the president Egypt's proposal on increasing the spillways of the dam during a technical experts meeting held in Ethiopia.

He underlined that the meeting, which was held by ousted president Mohamed Morsi with the parties to discuss the dam's crisis and broadcast on air, harmed the country, noting that airing the meeting, whether was done on purpose or not, is considered a crime in itself. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry exerts its utmost efforts to deal with challenges including the Renaissance Dam file, he noted.

He added that said that he is optimistic about what he called a "real desire" to restore Egypt's influence on the outside, and said in an interview with "Arabs Today" that there are actual steps on the ground prove this, and that these steps are taken systematically and rapidly.

He clarified that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made several foreign successful tours since the beginning of his term as Egypt’s president, while the Parliament also conducted a series of meetings with Congressmen and visits to European parliaments to communicate multiple views and defend the state and its image abroad.

He stressed the need for resuming of this active performance at the external level, so as not to be missed achieved from the gains.

Regarding the efforts exerted to achieve Palestinian reconciliation, He said that that the Cairo agreements represented the last chance for intra-Palestinian reconciliation. “This opportunity must be well used,” Mladenov said during a visit to the Gaza Strip.

He said that the parliament is within the general framework of the Egyptian state's direction, and that the Foreign Relations Committee will cooperate with Arab committees, defense and national security to formulate policies that keep pace with the developments in the Palestinian file.