John Tugume and Angelo Izama
31 July 2008
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt yesterday paid a rare visit to Uganda, the first of any Egyptian leader and discussed the pending indictment of Sudanese President Omar-el-Bashir by the International Criminal Court.
Lands Minister Daniel Omara Atubo holding fort for the Foreign Affairs Minister, told a news conference after closed door meetings between President Museveni and Mr Mubarak, that the two leaders "expressed their interest in the positions so far taken by the African Union, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Conference, that is geared towards assuming peace and stability in Darfur."
Mr Mubarak's visit comes days after the Egyptian president reaffirmed his government's support to the Sudanese leader over war crime and genocide charges by a prosecutor of the ICC.
Already, the Arab League held crisis talks in Cairo, in which its foreign ministers called on the ICC to back off while the African Union has urged Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to suspend any plans to arrest Gen. Bashir, saying it would only jeopardise attempts for a negotiated settlement to the crisis in Darfur and southern Sudan.
But Uganda is concerned as well, that the indictment could negatively impact a possible settlement of the northern region crisis with rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army.
And while the two leaders held bilateral talks, there were also calls by host President Museveni for Egyptians to come and invest in the country's agro-based and food processing sectors.
According to a press statement from Mr Museveni's office, the President made the call during a state luncheon, he hosted in honour of Mr Mubarak at State House, Entebbe. The Egyptian leader was here for a one- day official visit.
According to Mr Atubo, the two leaders also discussed the Nile Basin Initiative- a project meant to reconfigure the relationship between states through which the River Nile flows.
He said Egypt pledged to "offer more support" to fight the deadly sea weed, water hyacinth, adding that on top of the $33 million Egypt had handed out to Uganda for the fight, another $8million was on its way.
Mr Atubo said the presidents discussed "River Nile issues" since it is a source of life for Egypt and said they were interested in "capacity building" and "trans-boundary water training," adding that Egypt would help Uganda with "fish development."
But lawmakers in Uganda and elsewhere in the Nile Valley states are however pushing for re-negotiation of colonial era agreements which bar large scale water projects on the Nile that may hurt Egypt. The pacts have lately been ignored by so-called Riparian states because their own water needs have grown.
Egypt on the other hand has embarked on a massive US$ 70 billion project to reclaim half a million acres of dessert in what is known as the Toshka project and is relying on water from the Nile. The Nile as a strategic asset for both Uganda and Egypt remains the most binding aspect of the two nation's relationship.
"I am confident that we shall do a lot for the good of the people of the two countries", the State House statement quoted Mr Mubarak as having said. Mr Mubarak ended his five day tour of Sub-Saharan Africa with a last leg in Uganda, and flew back home yesterday.
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