EGYPT FM IN ETHIOPIA TO DISCUSS DISPUTED DAM
Amr is expected to meet with a delegation of Ethiopian officials, headed by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn for Sunday and Monday, to ensure that the proposed dam will maintain Egypt’s current share of Nile water as allocated by past agreements.
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil said on Thursday that Amr’s visit to Ethiopia aims to make the Renaissance Dam project a “win-win” situation for both countries, Ahram reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
In an interview with CNN, Qandil said that the tripartite commission responsible for reviewing the Grand Renaissance Dam project did not receive adequate studies from the Ethiopian side to ensure that the dam would not undermine Egypt’s share of water.
Amr’s visit comes against the backdrop of considerable Egyptian-Ethiopian tension. Ethiopian diplomats have spoken publicly about what they call “renewed threats of war by Egypt.”
In a speech to Islamist supporters at the Cairo Conference Centre last week, President Mohamed Morsi said that “our blood will be the alternative” should Egypt’s share of the Nile water be compromised.
However, the foreign minister’s visit to Ethiopia is meant to be an extension of goodwill, and he is expected to clarify that Morsi’s statement was not a threat of war, but rather an assertion that the Nile is a life or death matter for Egypt.
Amr is also expected to meet Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir in Khartoum on Tuesday to discuss the results of his meeting in Ethiopia. Sudan, like Egypt, also expects to be affected by Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam.
The Renaissance Dam has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government, which fears that the project, if completed, could negatively impact the volume of Nile water reaching Egypt.
According to Egypt’s National Planning Institute, Egypt will require an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050, on top of its current annual allotment of 55 billion cubic metres, to meet the needs of a projected population of 150 million.(T/P03/P04)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
