Ethiopia: Egyptian official refuses to talk about Nile River

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 15, 2005 (Walta) — The secretary general of the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa disclosed that the country is committed to further strengthen the bilateral relation with Ethiopia in various fields. She also said that she is not in a position to comment on issues pertaining to the Nile River.

Briefing journalists at Sheraton Addis Hotel yesterday, Ambassador Afaf Elmazariky said that her country wants to further enhance the cooperation with Ethiopia in management, engineering, education, communication and technology as well as power supply.

In addition, the ambassador said that Egypt has been working and is ready to work further in water management, irrigation, livestock, judiciary, construction works, tourism and health, among others.

The ambassador said that Egypt has been providing medical equipment and physicians to Ethiopia as part of its cooperation with Sub-Saharan Africa. Some 120 experts are working in higher learning institutions in Ethiopia, she added.

She further indicated that her country recently provided food aid amounting to 40,000 US dollar.

According to her Egypt has given top priority to African issues to which Ethiopia is no exception as it shares similar challenges with Egypt regionally and internationally.

Likewise, Egypt is exerting effort for the establishment of African Council for Epidemics and Contagious Diseases to be seated in Cairo and also establish a minister of council for energy. Egypt is also keen to host a satellite of the interaction of cultural relationships among the African countries, the ambassador said.

The secretary general, however, refused to comment on Egypt’s stand regarding the issue of the Nile and its current development. She said that the Nile issue is not her mandate.

The ambassador also told journalists that she would meet various government officials to hold talks on ways of enhancing and cementing the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.