(July 24, 2014, (World Bulletin / News Desk))--Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said on Friday that his country was determined to share Nile River water with all riparian states. "Ethiopia's stand with regard to Nile water is clear," Desalegn told a press conference for foreign correspondents at his office in Addis Ababa.
"Although Ethiopia is the source of 86 percent of Nile water, it believes that the Nile is a common resource," he said. In recent years, tension has marred relations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the former's construction of a major dam project on the upper reaches of the Nile River, which represents Egypt's primary water source.
Ethiopia says the dam is necessary for its national development plans and insists the project won't impact Egypt's traditional share of Nile water, which has long been governed by a colonial-era water-sharing treaty that Addis Ababa has never acknowledged.
Desalegn said that Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan should join forces to utilize the Nile's potential through understanding and dialogue. "Ethiopia has no intention to harm any riparian country; the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will never hurt Egypt or Sudan," he asserted.
Last month, Egypt and Ethiopia agreed – on the sidelines of last month's African summit in Equatorial Guinea – to resume tripartite talks with Sudan on the Ethiopian mega-dam. Read more from World Bulletin / News Desk »
"Although Ethiopia is the source of 86 percent of Nile water, it believes that the Nile is a common resource," he said. In recent years, tension has marred relations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the former's construction of a major dam project on the upper reaches of the Nile River, which represents Egypt's primary water source.
Ethiopia says the dam is necessary for its national development plans and insists the project won't impact Egypt's traditional share of Nile water, which has long been governed by a colonial-era water-sharing treaty that Addis Ababa has never acknowledged.
Desalegn said that Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan should join forces to utilize the Nile's potential through understanding and dialogue. "Ethiopia has no intention to harm any riparian country; the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will never hurt Egypt or Sudan," he asserted.
Last month, Egypt and Ethiopia agreed – on the sidelines of last month's African summit in Equatorial Guinea – to resume tripartite talks with Sudan on the Ethiopian mega-dam. Read more from World Bulletin / News Desk »
No comments:
Post a Comment