Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 17:33:11 +0200
Cairo to host Ethiopia, Sudan for dam talks on 16-17 October
A committee of experts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will convene to choose
an international consultancy firm to investigate the impact of the
controversial project on the region
Ahram Online , Friday 10 Oct 2014
http://english.ahram.org.eg/App_Themes/Black/images/line_re.jpg
The irrigation and water ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will meet in
Cairo next week to discuss the process of the construction of the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egyptian minister Hossam El-Moghazy has said.
Cairo will host the second round of talks on 16-17 October, where a
12-expert panel will choose an international consultancy firm to investigate
the hydrological, social and environmental effects of the Ethiopian project
on Egypt and Sudan, both downstream of the dam. Talks are also planned to
exchange recent findings by the three African nations on the impact of the
hydropower dam.
Cairo is concerned that the $4.2 billion dam project, which the Ethiopian
government says is now 40 percent complete, could negatively affect its
water supply.
Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile, a Nile tributary, in May last year
for the building of the 6,000 MW dam, planned to be Africa's largest when
completed in 2017.
The upcoming Cairo talks of the tripartite 'National Committee', made up of
four experts from each nation, have been put forward by four days to better
fit the agendas of the three ministers who will attend, the Egyptian
minister said in a statement on Thursday.
The first round of the talks was held in Addis Ababa on 20 September, with
officials saying at the time it signaled progress in negotiations.
A panel of specialists, including several international experts, concluded
last year that studies to assess the dam's impact on the flow of the Nile
were insufficient and that further investigations were needed.
In August, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed to complete the dam studies
within six months.
Ethiopia and other Nile Basin countries signed a 2010 pact to work on river
projects without Cairo's prior consent, claiming that Egypt's claims to the
bulk of the Nile water is invalid.
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