Sudan ‘partner’ in Egypt-Ethiopia dam talks
On Monday, Khartoum hosted a ministerial meeting to bridge the gaps between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the controversial dam, but no accord was reached.
World Bulletin / News Desk
Sudan said on Friday that Khartoum is a “partner”, not a “mediator” in negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopian over a controversial multibillion hydroelectric dam on the River Nile.
“Sudan is a basic partner, not just a mediator,” Sudanese Ambassador in Addis Ababa Abdulrahman Sir Al-Khatim said on Friday. “If Sudan had been a mere partner, it would not have taken part in all rounds of negotiations on the Renaissance Dam,” he added.
Egypt and Ethiopia lock horns over Ethiopian plans to build a massive dam on the Blue Nile. The plans have raised fears in Egypt that the move would threaten Egypt’s historical share of the historical river, which represents the country’s primary water source.
On Monday, Khartoum hosted a ministerial meeting to bridge the gaps between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the controversial dam, but no accord was reached.
Egyptian media quoted Egyptian delegate Alaa al-Zawahiri as describing Sudan as a “biased mediators” in the negotiations, a claim dismissed by Sudanese officials.
Earlier this month, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir confirmed his country’s support Ethiopia’s dam project, noting that Khartoum would enjoy a large share of the electricity thus generated.
It was the first time that al-Bashir personally confirmed his country’s support for the Ethiopian dam, which had adversely effected relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa earlier this year.
In May, Addis Ababa diverted the flow of the river, further raising concerns in Cairo.
A tripartite committee of experts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan was drawn up in 2011 and tasked with assessing the dam’s possible environmental, economic and social effects on downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.
The committee, which includes ten water experts from the three countries along with international experts, recently called for further study of safety issues related to the dam’s construction and the project’s possible impact on the two downstream states.
Ethiopia, for its part, insists the new dam will benefit Egypt and Sudan, both of which will be invited to purchase electricity generated by it.
Source: worldbulletin.net
![Ethiopia: A graveyard for homosexuals [Newsweek]](https://www.ethiopianopinion.com/wp-content/plugins/top-10/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ethiopianopinion.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F12%2Fnewsweekg-150x150.jpg&w=&h=&zc=1&q=75 "Ethiopia: A graveyard for homosexuals [Newsweek]")
