A well-informed government source said on Sunday 1/5/2011 Egypt will not approve Ethiopia’s construction of the Millennium Dam unless it receives necessary technical information about the dam and its designs.

Until now, all the information available about the dam is just oral messages received through the media, the source said.

The government is not committed to statements made to this effect by members of non-official Egyptian delegation currently visiting Ethiopia, the source added. He also pointed out that the official response will be given to the Ethiopian government during a visit by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to Ethiopia later this month.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis was addressing a dinner banquet he hosted in honor of an Egyptian popular delegation which visited Addis Ababa. He welcomed the delegation that comprises 48 public figures representing political parties and revolutionary coalitions, asserting this visit will enhance relations between the two countries.

Following the meeting, the Egyptian delegation attended the Sunday Mass, which marked a day celebrated by the Ethiopian church as the Saint George’s Day.

Members of the delegation denied reports published by el-Masry el-Youm newspaper on its website on Sunday that they had attended celebrations marking the inauguration of the Ethiopian Grand Millennium Dam.

Source: Egypt State Information Service.

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To give you the context of the news, here is a Google translation of a similar news posted on the Arabic website of Egypt State Information Service on Monday, May 2, 2011.

Denied government source file early negotiations Egypt Nile basin agreement on the construction of a dam the Ethiopian Millennium, stressing that Egypt would not agree until after the acquisition of information and technical drawings and designs of the dam, pointing out that even now the information available for the dam to be built just announced some oral statements Ethiopian officials through the media of Ethiopia.

The source said: “What was announced by the delegation of public diplomacy of Egypt in Ethiopia to approve the construction of the dam do not adhere to the Egyptian government, and approval of the Egyptian subject to the availability of technical information about the dam, and the view of Egypt’s official will be informed officially of the Ethiopian government during the upcoming visit of Dr. Essam Sharaf, Chairman Council of Ministers of Ethiopia in the middle of this month.

The source pointed out, had been completed to prepare and arrange for the visit through the work of a number of scenarios through the Nile Water Sector of the Ministry of Irrigation, you expect the extent of the damage, which will fall to Egypt from the construction of the dam.

The source added that Egypt would not agree to build the dam to the mere existence of messages I have for government officials, Ethiopians say it does not need to worry and that there was no damage from the construction of the dam on Egypt, stressing that Egypt was concerned and want a formal information and graphics true to the dam.

The source denied that be see Egypt on the technical dossiers of the dam depend on the signing of the Framework Convention for the Nile Basin countries, signed by six of the basin countries, stressing that there is no relationship between the two separated, and pointing out that Ethiopia has always refused to prior notification of water projects on the Nile, The Egypt is dealing with my construction of the dam, and the signing of the deal separately and not as two files different between them.

On the other hand, through the Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Georgios on 05/01/2011, in a speech during a dinner held in his honor to the delegation of the Egyptian People’s diplomacy, which includes 48 members currently visiting Ethiopia, welcomed the delegation of public diplomacy-Masri, who is currently visiting Addis Ababa, stressing that he was confident that this visit will strengthen ties between the two countries associated with the River Nile.

The president said the Ethiopian, “We all agree that the Nile a vital source of life, development and security, and poverty reduction efforts, and to achieve peace between all the riparian States.”

“The failure in the past cooperation between the two sides led to the failure to develop our resources of this river as it should, and in ten years I have worked all Member States to reach a multilateral agreement based on the principles of fair use and reasonable utilization of water with the obligation not to cause damage to any other countries Michatip on the river. ”

The President congratulated the Ethiopian delegation of the Egyptian and the people of Egypt “, buoyed by success in dealing with recent challenges,” he said, “I am confident that your efforts will culminate in peace, sustainable development and democracy.”

“The honor of your visit to the people and Government of Ethiopia, and we appreciate it greatly, and I am confident that the interaction between the two peoples of this kind, will continue to Altazz and prosperity in the coming years.”

Through a spokesman for the Ethiopian Foreign our Mufti, welcomed the delegation to Egypt, hoping to open a new page in relations between the two countries, he said, “We are on the outskirts of reception, Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Essam Sharaf, in mid-May, and we consider that this visit will open new horizons to promote and maximize the relations between Egypt and Ethiopia “.

Members of the diplomatic delegation of the Egyptian People’s denied the news posted on “Egypt Today” website, which claimed that the people’s delegation had participated in the celebrations of Ethiopia’s millennium dam which is being built by Ethiopia to Blue Nile near the Sudanese border.

They pointed out that all those Ethiopians who met with them confirmed that Ethiopia would never do anything detrimental to the interests of downstream states of Egypt and the Sudan.