Egyptian foreign minister in Ethiopia for talks over Nile water

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

June 17, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopian foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom on Monday met his visiting Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Kamel Amr, in Addis Ababa where the two sides discussed Ethiopia’s controversial dam (Grand Renaissance Dam), which Cairo says will diminish its water share from the Nile River.

Amr’s visit comes only a few days after Ethiopia’s parliament unanimously ratified the new Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement which six Nile basin countries signed in Uganda in 2010 to reverse a pre-colonial treaty that gave nearly all the Nile waters share to Sudan and Egypt.

After Ethiopia recently began diverting the course of the Blue Nile River, Egyptian politicians launched fierce media campaign against Addis Ababa and some went as far as suggesting sabotage plans through a military attack to stop the horn of Africa’s nation from Building the $4.8 billion massive dam project being built in Benshangul Gumuz region bordering Sudan.

Addis Ababa and Cairo then engaged in rounds of bitter verbal exchanges that escalated tensions and gave rise to fears of a possible military confrontation.

Earlier this month Addis Ababa summoned Egyptian ambassador to Ethiopia for official explanation over the aggressive remarks.

However Ethiopia Foreign affairs ministry Spokesperson, Dina Mufti told Sudan Tribune that Cairo has failed to offer any clarification.

The Egyptian minister’s visit to Ethiopia aims to defuse growing tensions over Nile water between the two countries.

It is difficult to anticipate the details of the talks or the outcome as the two ministers cancelled a news conference scheduled for today hinting the meeting did not lead to any sort of understanding.

Officials in Addis Ababa refused to comment on why the news conference was cancelled.

Mohamed Kamel Amr, last week said that “No Nile – No Egypt” expressing his country’s strong position with regard to Nile water which is the lifeline to millions of Egyptians.

“We have a plan for action, which will start soon. We will talk to Ethiopia and we’ll see what comes of it”, Amr said when asked possible actions Egypt might take if a diplomatic effort to end the standoff fails.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently said Egypt won’t take military action as an option unless Egyptian leaders “go mad”.

The panel of Experts which had for a year been studying the impact of the dam on lower riparian countries issued a report, which remains confidential, that officials in Sudan and Ethiopia say dismisses claims that the the project will cause any negative impact.

Following the final findings, Ethiopia expressed readiness to further discuss with Egypt if the latter has issues for discussion over the Dam project.

When complete, Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam will become Africa’s largest hydropower plant, with electricity generating capacity of 6,000 megawatts.

(ST)