Prime Minister Meles Zenawi yesterday reaffirmed his government’s position to delay the ratification of the Cooperative Framework Agreement of the Nile water utilization (CFA) until Egypt has an elected government as he confer with his Egyptian counterpart Dr. Essam Abdel Aziz Sharaf.

Briefing journalists following the high-level Ethio-Egyptian talks at the National Palace, Meles said his government believes it is appropriate to open the door for the new Egyptian government if it want to take part in the CFA. “We have been discussing the CFA for the past ten years. Thus, it does not bring any basic change if we wait for three or four months,” he added.

The Premier said: “Some individuals assume that our decision to delay the ratification of the CFA also implies delay in the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. But the construction of the dam won’t be delayed even for a single minute.”

The Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Abdel Aziz Sharaf on his part said that his country would exert maximum effort to boost bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries. Egypt is desirous of forging a new relationship and establishing a joint cooperation commission with Ethiopia, he added. Egypt has no any objection to the construction of the Grand Dam, he said, adding his government seeks to change the wrong perceptions that were created by the Mubarak regime.

Source: from Ethiopia Press Agency

In a related development, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation said the two countries agreed to develop a Terms of Reference for the experts’ committee that will review the plans of new dam, Grand Renaissance dam, according to an an Arabic news outlet of Egypt. [I posted the Google translation of the news as it is – since it lacks clarity.]

Dr. Hussein Atfy ,‮ ‬Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, that he was agreed with the Ethiopian side to the experts from each country of the Eastern Nile develop proposals on the terms of reference of the work of the technical committee, which agreed to set up to assess the dam Millennium plans to Ethiopia created on the Sudanese border ‮ – ‬ Ethiopian of the individual to be reviewing these proposals between expert Egyptians and Ethiopians who will participate at the next meeting of the Ministerial Committee which had been agreed upon between the prime ministers in both countries during the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Essam Sharaf to Ethiopia, with a membership of concerned ministers to develop a comprehensive system of cooperation between the the two countries and scheduled its next meeting in Cairo.‬

He said in a press statement following his return from Addis Ababa that Sudan will also participate in the development of the Commission’s proposals in coordination with Egypt, as part of the committee members will be discussing these proposals upon its completion through continuous contacts with the Ethiopian side.

Source: Akhbarelyom