Egypt, Ethiopia Leaders Arrive in Sudan for Nile Talks

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn arrived Monday in Sudanese capital Khartoum for talks on Ethiopia’s mega-dam on the Nile River.

The two leaders, along with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, are expected to sign a tripartite Nile deal whose provisions have so far been kept secret. Ethiopia’s multibillion-dollar dam project is said to have taken the center stage in the draft agreement.

South Sudanese Vice President James Wani Igga has also arrived along with some African Union officials to attend the signing. Sudanese presidency said in a statement that the leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia would sign the agreement in principle on the Ethiopian dam this afternoon, a ceremony that would be followed by a press conference by the three leaders.

The signing would precede a landmark visit to Ethiopia by al-Sisi, his first ever to Horn of Africa nation since he assumed office last year. Al-Sisi and Desalegn are expected to give a joint press conference in Addis Ababa later Monday. The Egyptian leader is also expected to address the Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday.

It is also expected that a technical committee will name the winner of four consulting firms bidding to undertake two studies concerning the Ethiopian dam as recommended in 2011 by an international panel of experts.

The two studies recommended are hydrological simulation model and trans-boundary economic, social and environmental impact assessment. Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam has been at the center of a diplomatic row between Cairo and Addis Ababa for several months.

While Ethiopia views the dam as a prerequisite for economic development, Egypt fears the project will lead to a marked reduction in its supply of Nile water. Relations, however, between the two countries have improved since al-Sisi and Desalegn met at an African summit in Equatorial Guinea last summer.

Source: Haberler