Dear Foreign Minister, dear Minister Sewilam, esteemed Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to join you in Cairo, on the banks of one of the most iconic waterways in the world.  The Nile has shaped human civilisation for thousands of years -- and I know it occupies a vital place in the life and culture of this city.  Water is our most precious resource and the lifeblood of our world.  In fact, our complete reliance on water reminds us that we are all the same –