a) Historical background of Ethio-Sudan Relations.

It is known that there is a long historical relationship with the Sudan starting from the time of the states of Axum and Merowe, there are also long-standing ties between the two peoples who have lived in one another's country over the years. It is evident that this relationship has had its own positive and negative features. In particular, since the end of World War II, when The Sudan became independent, the relationship has not developed in a positive manner as much as it should have.

One reason for this is religious extremism. Although it is the people of Sudan who bear the main brunt of intermittent manifestations of religious extremism, such phenomena have also harmed the relationships between the two countries. Besides attempting to spread religious extremism in our country, there were various efforts aided by The Sudan that were designed to make our country a victim of terrorist attacks.

There has always been religious tolerance in our country for a long period of time, and no political ground existed for extremism. The religiously motivated attempts from The Sudan should also have had little impact. But it is clear that the previous, undemocratic systems in Ethiopia had exposed us to this danger. It cannot be denied that widespread poverty, and the fact that religious equality had not been satisfactorily realised had exposed our country to imminent danger. Although our endeavours to fully implement all aspects of religious equality, to spread education and modern thinking, and to succeed in the war against poverty will certainly free our country from such dangers, we cannot say we have reached that level yet. It should be underscored, therefore, that there is a vulnerability that has substantially been reduced, but has not been completely done away with.

One of the causes for the deterioration of relations with The Sudan concerns the use of the waters of the Nile. In this regard, the agreement The Sudan signed with Egypt in 1959 that excluded Ethiopia from the use of the river is an example worth mentioning.

Ethiopia is the main source of the Nile, and The Sudan is the second biggest source. Egypt, on the contrary, is not a source at all. Ethiopia's opportunities to use the Nile for irrigation are limited. Even if we were to irrigate all the lands on the Ethiopian side of the Nile Basin, due to the topography and limitations of the territory, the amount of water we use would not be that high. On the contrary, since The Sudan has expansive and fertile lands that can be irrigated, it is in a better position than Egypt and Ethiopia to gain maximum advantage.

Even if in accord with sound principle regarding the use of rivers for irrigation purposes, Egypt - which adds no volume to the Nile's waters - does not have enough land for irrigation. However, according to the 1959 agreement, it has appropriated the right to use the most substantial portion of the Nile's waters. Ethiopia may be the main source of the Nile, but it does not possess extensive lands like The Sudan to be developed through irrigation. The country that has a wide territory that can be developed using irrigation is The Sudan, although its share of the Nile is limited according to the agreement it entered with Egypt. As a result, The Sudan's national interest cannot be said to have been respected in the 1959 agreement. In fact, Sudan's national interest can best be protected when there is an agreement on equitable utilization of the Nile waters between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. If such a stage is reached, what becomes difficult is not reconciling the interests of Ethiopia and The Sudan but the interests of Egypt and The Sudan. True as that may be, in practice, The Sudan has been supporting Egypt's stand on the issue. The Sudan has wrongly considered that its interest in this regard is threatened by Ethiopia. Although this attitude is gradually changing, it has been one reason which prevented the strengthening of the Ethio-Sudanese relationship for a long period of time.

Another reason for the poor relations has been, on the one hand, the support The Sudan provided - also because of the influence of others - to various opposing forces that aimed at disrupting the peace of Ethiopia, and on the other hand, Ethiopia's retaliation through the support it gave to Sudanese opposition forces, especially those in Southern Sudan. Unable to address the root causes of their problem, the two nations have been suspicious and wary of each other over the years.