http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/nile-dam-technical-studies-non-binding-ethiopian-minister
Nile dam technical studies non-binding: Ethiopian minister
On Thu, 18/02/2016
Anadolu Agency
Results from technical studies assessing potential harm from Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam are not binding for Addis Ababa, its water minister said Wednesday.
Studies expected to be carried out by two French consultancy firms on the Ethiopian Nile River dam will only assess effects from the undertaking, if any, before experts discuss means to address them, Ethiopian Irrigation and Water Minister Motuma Mikasa told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
Egypt fears the dam, whose construction began in 2011, will affect its historic Nile water share of 55 billion square meters, which it has had access to since a 1959 agreement with Sudan. Ethiopia, meanwhile, has frequently reassured Cairo that its water share will not be affected.
Officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will meet late February to sign contracts with Artelia and BRL to kickstart the technical studies, Mikasa told the agency.
“The two French companies will hand over results of the studies to the intergovernmental technical committee, which will, in turn, forward them to the foreign ministers of the three countries who shall discuss them to achieve an agreement on means to address the effects, if any, that could impact upstream countries Egypt and Sudan,” said the minister.
The three countries were previously scheduled to sign the deal over the technical studies in Khartoum between February 8 and 11, but the event was postponed to a later date.
In March 2015, the three countries signed a declaration of principles by which Egypt and Sudan agreed to continued construction on the dam parallel with technical assessments.
Edited translation from Anadolu Agency
http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Articles/tmpArticleNews.aspx?ArtID=99498#.VsX5nLThArg
Projected Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia Summit to give impetus to Dam negotiations - diplomat
Thursday, 18 February 2016
The tripartite summit that will group the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia is expected to give an impetus to negotiations over technical matters of Renaissance Dam, the Egyptian Ambassador here said.
The summit will take place in Sharm el Sheikh, Ambassador Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim said in statements to El Youm el Tali newspaper out Thursday.
About Egyptian-Sudanese relations, he said a joint consular committee will take place on February 28 but the venue has not been set yet.
The committee will discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation over protecting the interests of the Egyptian and Sudanese nationals.
He said presidential diplomacy has helped boost relations between Khartoum and Cairo over the past period, referring to the latest meetings that grouped President Abdel Fattah El Sisi with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan Bashir.
He said there is a true desire by both countries to hold the Egyptian-Sudanese higher committee meetings as scheduled this year in Cairo.
Received on Thu Feb 18 2016 - 12:17:25 EST