Nile | PM Hailemariam to Meet Saudi Minister after Hostile Remarks

A day after Prince Khalid bin Sultan, deputy defence minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, made hostile remarks about Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam on Wednesday, February 27, 2013, the Finance Minister of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, will be meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Abeba, today.

The Prince, who is attending the third session of the Arab Water Council in Cairo, Egypt, made claims that the dam has the capacity to flood Khartoum and severely impact Aswan Dam. Moreover, he accused Ethiopia of having ulterior motives for the dam.

“The establishment of the dam 12Km from the Sudanese border is for political plotting rather than for economic gain and constitutes a threat to Egyptian and Sudanese national security,” he remarked.

Although officials do not give credence to the statements made by the Prince, brushing it aside as a “guff”, Hailemariam will raise the issue with the Finance Minister this afternoon, Fortune learnt.

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Source: Addis Fortune, Feb. 28, 2013. Originally titled "PM Hailemariam to Meet Saudi Minister after Hostile Remarks".

Related: Nile| Saudi Prince suggests military force for water disputes (Feb. 27, 2013)

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