Egypt FM to visit Ethiopia for talks over dam

Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr to visit Ethiopia next week for talks with Addis Ababa and Khartoum over Renaissance Dam 

Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Amr (Photo: reuters)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr will visit Ethiopia on Sunday or Monday for talks with Addis Ababa and Khartoum over Nile water issues and the Renaissance Dam, diplomatic sources told Egyptian state news agency MENA on Friday. Egypt wants Ethiopia to conduct more studies and provide additional information about the impact of the Renaissance Dam and sign a tripartite agreement.
The agreement states the dam should not reduce Egypt and Sudan's share of the Nile's water, and limits the amount of water stored in the dam to considerably less than 75 billion cubic metres.
The agreement also says Ethiopia should take into consideration the danger of earthquakes and soft ground before building the dam.
In addition, the agreement says cutting down forests to build the dam should not affect the quality of water reaching Egypt.
Ethiopia needs funding from international institutions like the World Bank to build the dam. According to international agreements Egypt and Sudan must agree to the building of the dam.
Ethiopia's parliament on Thursday ratified an accord that replaces colonial-era deals that awarded Egypt and Sudan the majority of the Nile's water.