Kampala — Ten years of negotiations over a new protocol governing shared use of the Nile River are hanging in the balance, with Egypt and Sudan refusing to give up their present power over how much water is used by countries further upstream.The current agreement prohibits countries downstream from using Nile waters beyond an agreed curve, and gives Egypt powers to monitor the flow at key points.”The technocrats had worked out all the paper work for a good protocol but the politicians have thrown a clean piece of cloth in the mud,” says Professor Afuna Aduula, chair of the Nile Basin Discourse Forum, a consortium of civil society organisations looking at issues along the world’s longest river.

The article in the new draft which has caused the stalemate is 14b, concerning water security. Water use by countries upstream has long been restricted by the terms of the colonial agreement signed on their behalf by Britain in 1929, and re-affirmed in 1954.

The Nile basin has a population of 160 million people in an area of 3.1 million square kilometres — including 81,500 sq km of lakes and 70,000 sq km of swamps, according to statistics from the Nile Basin Initiative, a body set up by Nile riparian states with funding from various donors to harmonise policy over the Nile.

Over the years, water levels in Lake Victoria, a major source of water for the Nile, have been falling. Water levels in 2008, were 2.5 metres lower than three years earlier. This is believed to be due to a combination of factors, including declining rainfall and increased use — and it is causing panic among states that share the Nile.

The 10 countries sharing the river under the Nile Basin Initiative have been negotiating a new framework agreement to manage the river’s water for the last 10 years. The countries are Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, DR Congo and Uganda.

The Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework’s article 6 talks about protection and conservation of the basin and its ecosystem and environmentalists look at this as a milestone in maintaining the water levels from a wider catchment area feeding into the lake.

But Frank Muramuzi of Uganda’s National Association of Professional Environmentalists believes a deadlock could undermine regional conservation and development activities under the Nile Basin Initiative. He thinks a new protocol would guarantee countries like Egypt and Sudan more water.

“The protocol would set a framework for sustainable use of water resources from the river Nile,” says Muramuzi. But if the status quo remains, waters from Lake Victoria the major reservoir for the Nile will continue to recede and shortages may result into conflicts, he adds.

The treaty being considered now also has five other major clauses which generated heated debate in previous negotiations. These include article 4, which is on equitable and reasonable use of the Nile waters, article 5 (prevention of harm to the waters), article 6 (protection and conservation of the basin and its ecosystem) and article 8 (prior informed consent before using the waters).

Egypt and Sudan, which have largely desert land, have been opposed to the treaty, fearing it would cut them off from the Nile waters.

The 13-member nation of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet in Cairo, Egypt on 29 November for “consultation” on the oil market, a senior Iranian oil official said yesterday, after oil prices continued their slide.OPEC members are calling for action to halt oil’s slide to around $56 a barrel as they face reduced revenues and a struggle to finance domestic programmes.Iran had previously said the oil cartel could meet before a gathering scheduled for December 14 in Algeria, with some suggesting the meeting could be on 28 November in the Egyptian capital.

“It is not an extraordinary OPEC meeting; it is a consultation meeting to discuss market developments. It will be in Cairo on 29 November,” the Iranian official, who asked not to be identified, was quoted as saying.

“The OPEC headquarters has sent a letter to all OPEC members to inform them about the meeting,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, Mr. Jeroen van der Veer said yesterday that investing in oil projects could still be attractive with the price of $50 a barrel if taxes and royalties on oil production are not too high.

OPEC countries, including Nigeria had earlier said oil prices of around $80 per barrel were needed to justify investment in new projects.

Veer told reporters in Istanbul Shell was “very much interested” in Iraqi oil contracts, which he projected would be distributed in 2009, and Shell was in talks with a number of companies about a possible consortium.

OPEC president Chakib Khelil had earlier hinted that OPEC may cut output again if oil prices fell further and added that non-Arab oil producers could be invited to the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) meeting.

OAPEC, which includes Arab states who members of OPEC are also, but not non-Arabs like Iran or Venezuela, was due to meet on 29 November in Cairo.OPEC members agreed in October to reduce supplies by 1.5 million barrels per day, representing about 5 per cent, with effect from 1 November but that measure has failed to stop oil prices declining.

Eleven Western tourists and their Egyptian guides kidnapped in a remote border region of Egypt are now free. Abducted 10 days ago, the five Italians, five Germans and a Romanian and their guides are said to be in good health.The news broke on Egyptian state television and confirmed by the Italian officials, the BBC reported. They have been taken to a military base in the capital, Cairo. “Our compatriots are free, and they are with Egyptian forces,” said Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.No details were given on the circumstances of their release. The kidnappers had demanded that Germany take charge of payment of an $8.8m (£4.9m) ransom. The news said it is unclear if any payment was exchanged.The abductees had been touring in an area well off the beaten track but a messy end to this crisis would not have been good for the health of the Egpytian economy, the news network said.

Cairo: Egypt is unlikely to extradite the suspects in the murder of Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim to the UAE, an Egyptian legal official said on Wednesday.”The arrest and investigations were conducted in Egypt,” said the official, who spoke to Gulf News on condition of anonymity.Egypt’s Prosecutor General Tuesday charged business tycoon Hesham Tala’at Mustafa with involvement in the slaying of Tamim in Dubai on July 28.Hesham and Mohsen Al Sukkary, an ex-police officer, will go on trial, the date of which will be set next week. Both defendants could face the death penality if convicted.”The crime committed abroad (in Dubai) is punishable under the Egyptian Penal Code. Accordingly, they will not be tried outside Egypt,” said the official. He would not say if the UAE had made an extradition request to Cairo.Hesham had “allegedly paid Al Sukkary $2 million to track down Tamim in London and then in Dubai,” according to Egyptian prosecutors.Rocked by Hesham’s indictment, the Talaat Mustafa Group (TMG), one of Egypt’s leading real estate developers, on Wednesday hurried to limit the resultant damage. The group’s new chairman, who replaced Hesham, has said that work on the projects undertaken by the company is going ahead as scheduled.”Work in the group is going on as normal according to relevant rules without any change,” Tareq Tala’at Mustafa told an Egyptian magazine in remarks published on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu al-Gheit presented to President Hosni Mubarak a report on his visit to Lebanon last week, Egyptian media reported on Wednesday. The spokesman said Abu al-Gheit’s visit to Lebanon was “successful and achieved the aspired goals, as it affirmed Egypt’s interest in Lebanon, its present and future.”He referred to the meetings Abu al-Gheit held with Lebanese officials, including President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.”Abu al-Gheit underlined, in his discussions with Lebanese officials and politicians, the readiness of Egypt to offer assistance to support the Lebanese state, institutions and cadres, including the Lebanese Army,” the spokesman said, adding that the Egyptian offer was welcomed by all Lebanese parties.”The foreign minister expressed Egypt’s keenness on supporting Lebanon,” he said, adding that “Lebanese leaders called on Egypt to provide more assistance in order to support the Lebanese state carry out its responsibilities and enhance its role.”The spokesman added that his country’s interest in the Lebanese situation “is important due to established regional linkages.”"Abu al-Gheit stressed during all his meetings in Lebanon Egypt’s strong commitment to exerting efforts to solve inter-Lebanese differences and work on avoiding foreign interference in Lebanon’s domestic issues,” he added.According to the spokesperson, Abu al-Gheit also discussed the possibility of Egypt providing Lebanon with electricity and gas, “and this is additional evidence that Egypt is committed to assist a brotherly country in real need of Egyptian help in two vital fields, in which Egypt has a comparative advantage.”The spokesman said that Egypt currently provides the opportunity for Lebanese military cadres to train “in its distinguished military institutions and schools.”"This should help the Lebanese Army, which enjoys national consensus, to carry out its responsibilities in preserving peace and stability in Lebanon,” he said.”Egypt will continue to work with the Lebanese state as well as important Lebanese politicians to help Lebanon overcome any obstacles that would prevent the achievement of the aspired stability and development,” the Egyptian  spokesperson added.Separately, the secretary general of Iran’s National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, said on Wednesday that Lebanon has become “a role model for many countries worldwide.”"The main reason for Lebanon’s recent achievements in defense and political spheres is the national view of the Lebanese nation,” Jalili told former Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami, currently on a visit to Tehran.Jalili also called for unity among all Lebanese factions “in the face of the enemies’ efforts to undermine the country’s independence.”"Lebanon’s success is important to all Muslim states because it is on the front line of fighting against the Zionist regime,” he added.Karami, for his part, expressed appreciation for Iran’s support for Lebanon.”The Lebanese nation will stand up against Zionist threats with all its strength,” the former premier promised.”Iran certainly plays a key role in the regional developments and its efforts to reinforce unity among Lebanese factions have made a major contribution to Lebanon’s success,” he added.