Sudanese - Egyptian committee meets to discuss water
Sudan-Egypt, Politics, 10/29/1998

The Sudanese-Egyptian joint committee responsible for the issue of the River Nile's water started its four-day session yesterday in Khartoum. The head of the Sudanese delegation, Minister of Irrigation Esam Zadik, stated at the beginning of the meeting that the committee embodies the strong relations between the Egyptian and Sudanese people.

The committee will discuss increasing the shared volume of the Nile water, methods of measuring the water level in dams, and technical cooperation among the countries of the Nile basin.

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Sudan accuses Israel of breaking the water's war out
Sudan, Politics, 10/12/1998

Esmat Sadek, Sudanese minister of state in the Ministry of Irrigation, accused Israel yesterday of working on starting a war over water among the countries of the Nile Basin. Sadek attacked the proposals of a Ugandan Parliamentarian to sell Nile water to Egypt and Sudan, pointing out to Israel's attempts to cause disputes among countries of the Nile Basin till these disputes reach the stage of war.

He added that the Nile's waters are shared among the countries of the Nile Basin according to signed agreements.

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Egypt denies crisis with Ethiopia over Nile River's waters
Egypt-Ethiopia, Economics, 9/8/1998

Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri stated today that his country does not exceed its share of the Nile River's water, where the new projects implemented in southern Egypt, the Sahara or Sinai depend on the specified share for Egypt, amounting to 55,5 billion cubic meters, according to the ratified water agreement of 1959.

Ganzouri held a meeting yesterday concerning to implementation of new Egyptian projects.

The meeting tackled the projects of the dams Ethiopia wants to build, and Cairo expressed its full readiness to cooperate with Ethiopia in implementing these dams as long as it will not affect the water from which Egypt benefits.

Meanwhile, Mohamoud Abu Zied, Egyptian minister of public works and water resources denied that there is any crisis between Cairo and Addis Ababa concerning the Nile.

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Egypt threatened by water projects for Ethiopia
Egypt-Ethiopia, Economics, 5/23/1998

Egypt threatened halting new water projects being implemented by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile basin without the approval of the basin's countries, and demanded clarifications from Ethiopia in this regard.

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zein said that Egypt will wait for a formal reply from Adiss Ababa regarding the new projects implemented the blue Nile basin, pointing out that the agreements of the Nile basin countries requires consultation between the Nile countries regarding any new water projects.

The Ethiopia government has announced last week a project for constructing dams on the Blue Nile that includes 175 projects for irrigation.

The Ethiopia government denied that Egypt contradicts the agreement of Nile basin's countries by implementing Tosheka's Peace Canal projects, confirming that the 2 projects are within Egypt's annual share from water that reaches to 55,5 billion cubic meter.

Egypt confirms Sudan's adherence to Nile water agreement
Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia, Economics, 5/13/1998

Cairo denied that the Sudanese government is provoking problems concerning the Nile water agreement with Egypt in effect since 1959. An Egyptian official stated today that Khartoum is greatly concerned with separating political relations and the agreement.

Egypt's advisor on resources, Mohammed Nasser Ezzat, said that Sudan is concerned with its adherence to the Nile water agreement at all times, and Sudan works constantly to exclude this issue from any political disputes that could affect relations between the two countries.

Nasser Ezzat, who recently participated in a meeting held in the Tanzanian capital, Dar El-Salam, discussed the mechanism for developing the Nile, providing that the new dams in Ethiopia do not constitute any danger to Egyptian interests.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Abdul Halim, met today with Esmat Abdul Meguid, secretary-general of the Arab League, and informed the latter about Sudan's continuation in reforming its relations with Egypt.

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Egypt - Sudan Nile water organization meets today
Egypt-Sudan, Economics, 2/16/1998

The activities of the joint organization overseeing the Nile River between Egypt and Sudan started today in Al-Khartoum and are scheduled to last four days.

The Egyptian minister of public works and water resources said the meeting is to be considered a serious start between water experts in the two countries to review what was previously agreed upon. He also said this meeting is the first between the two parties in five years.

An Egyptian source said Egypt hopes that stability prevails in southern Sudan, in order to resume the establishment of the Gongli canal.

The source said both sides will discuss international bank participation in establishing water projects in the two countries within the agreement held between the international bank and the Nile basin countries to establish 22 projects at a cost of $100 million.

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U.S. move to hit economic well-being of Sudan and Egypt
Sudan-Egypt, Economics, 3/4/1998

Sudanese sources said the US is undertaking a move in cooperation with the International Bank to damage the economic well-being of Egypt and Sudan.

This will be done through the U.S.A. Bureau of Reclamation's finance of four new dams on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia that will threaten the river's waters in Egypt and Sudan.

Sudanese sources linked this plan by the U.S. to the rapid improvement towards normalization of Sudanese and Egyptian relations. The U.S. has sought to have influence in Sudan without success, and has embarked on destabilizing the Sudanese government.

Recent meetings in Khartoum -- which the two countries' ministers of irrigation and marine resources attended -- concentrated on coordination between Egypt and Sudan on exchanging experiences in new water projects.

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Ethiopia can fulfill water needs without affecting Egypt
Egypt, Economics, 2/11/1998

Egypt has received new Ethiopian promises not to affect Egypt's share of water from the Nile and to respect the agreement signed by the two countries in 1993.

Mahmoud Abu Zayd, minister of public works and water resources, denied recent reports that Ethiopia had allocated an estimated $30 million to conduct studies concerning its plan to use the Nile's water. He also added that Ethiopia could fulfill its water needs without affecting Egypt's share.

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Egypt confirms Sudan's adherence to Nile water agreement
Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia, Economics, 5/13/1998

Cairo denied that the Sudanese government is provoking problems concerning the Nile water agreement with Egypt in effect since 1959. An Egyptian official stated today that Khartoum is greatly concerned with separating political relations and the agreement.

Egypt's advisor on resources, Mohammed Nasser Ezzat, said that Sudan is concerned with its adherence to the Nile water agreement at all times, and Sudan works constantly to exclude this issue from any political disputes that could affect relations between the two countries.

Nasser Ezzat, who recently participated in a meeting held in the Tanzanian capital, Dar El-Salam, discussed the mechanism for developing the Nile, providing that the new dams in Ethiopia do not constitute any danger to Egyptian interests.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Abdul Halim, met today with Esmat Abdul Meguid, secretary-general of the Arab League, and informed the latter about Sudan's continuation in reforming its relations with Egypt.

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No Egyptian military attaches in African Horn and Nile Basin countries
Egypt-Ethiopia-Eritrea, Politics, 8/27/1998

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement yesterday that there are no military attaches in any of the Egyptian embassies in the capitals of the African Horn and Nile Basin countries, except Nairobi and Kinsasha.

The statement came in reply to the repeated allegations of an Ethiopian newspaper which refered to an increasing number of Egyptian military attaches in Asmara after the medical donation presented by Egypt to Eritrea.

The statement said the donation came within the aid presented by Egypt to the "intimate" African countries.

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Egyptian minister of works heads to Addis Ababa
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 5/11/1999

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mahmud Abu Zied left Cairo today for Addis Ababa, heading a delegation of experts and specialists on water resources to participate in the meetings of experts on water resources for the ten Nile basin countries, which will start today in Ethiopia.

Abu Zied praised the full coordination among the basin's countries for the best exploitation of the Niles' waters, which are estimated at 1600 million cubic meters annually, and of which only 8% is used. He added that there is a great probability of establishing joint projects, especially among Egypt, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and rest of the countries of the Nile basin.

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Egypt: Nile water will not go to any country outside the basin
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 4/30/1999

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mahmud Abu Zied said that the Nile water will not go to any country outside the Nile basin.

In the symposium "Water and future requirements," organized by Ein Shams University, the Egyptian minister said, "There are no disputes between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the Nile water," confirming that the Ethiopia projects will not hurt Egypt in any case.

Abu Zied added, "The design of El-Salam canal does not allow transferring any fresh water to Israel because it irrigates 40,000 acres with agricultural drain water treated with the Nile water."

He also denied any negative effects of withdrawing Egyptian ground water for the good of the Libyan Great Manmade River because the effects of withdrawal from any ground well stops at least before 2 kilometers and that Egypt does not withdraw except from its joint ground water with Libya, Chad and Sudan, which is known as the Nubian international stony ground.

Egypt: Nile water will not go to any country outside the basin
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 4/30/1999

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mahmud Abu Zied said that the Nile water will not go to any country outside the Nile basin.

In the symposium "Water and future requirements," organized by Ein Shams University, the Egyptian minister said, "There are no disputes between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the Nile water," confirming that the Ethiopia projects will not hurt Egypt in any case.

Abu Zied added, "The design of El-Salam canal does not allow transferring any fresh water to Israel because it irrigates 40,000 acres with agricultural drain water treated with the Nile water."

He also denied any negative effects of withdrawing Egyptian ground water for the good of the Libyan Great Manmade River because the effects of withdrawal from any ground well stops at least before 2 kilometers and that Egypt does not withdraw except from its joint ground water with Libya, Chad and Sudan, which is known as the Nubian international stony ground.

Mubarak says Israel will not get Nile water
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 2/23/1999

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has asserted that delivering the water of the Nile to Israel is "impossible," noting that there are international agreements which ban giving the waters of the Nile to any other side.

"Those who talk about reaching the waters of the Nile must study these agreements first," Mubarak commented.

He added in a statement to the Egyptian magazine "October" in its most recent issue that the impossibility of delivering the water of the Nile to Israel, in addition to the aforesaid reasons, was also because the amount of water arriving in Egypt will not be enough to meet the requirements of the Egyptian people in the next century, especially with the expansion of cultivated lands.

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Ministers of water resources to meet at Addis Ababa in May
Regional-Egypt, Economics, 4/17/1999

Egyptian Minister of Works and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zied confirmed that there is a complete coordination, cooperation and an agreement between the Nile states for perfecting the use of the Nile's waters, where 8% of these waters are used for the benefit of the Nile basin countries' peoples.

He also referred to cooperation between Nile basin's countries as number of mutual projects were established, especially between Egypt, and each of Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya.

Meanwhile, Abu Zied said he is going to chair Egypt's delegation to the water resources meeting that is to be held at Adis Ababa during the first week of May.

Moreover, Abu Zied said the coming meeting will discuss the technical basis upon which the projects of sub-basins and the Nile basin as a whole will be specified, setting up that the technical groups will start detail studies for these projects and the priorities of implementation.

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African coordination to exploit Nile water
Regional, Politics, 3/31/1999

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mohamoud Abu Zied confirmed that there is a comprehensive agreement and coordination between Nile basin countries to make the best use of the river's water for the interests of the Nile basin's population.

Moreover the minister referred to the Nile basin countries, especially between Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, and Kenya.

Moreover, the Egyptian minister said the meeting of the Nile basin ministers will discuss the technical basis upon which the projects on the of sub-basin of the Nile will be totally discussed as a preliminary step so that technicans can begin detailed studies of these projects and their priorities in implementation.

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Egypt seeks to increase its share of Nile water
Egypt-North Africa, Economics, 2/5/1999

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Mahmoud Abo Zeid said there are serious steps to be taken to obtain an additional share of the Nile's water for Egypt.

Abo Zeid added to ArabicNews.com today that there is nothing that can arouse anxiety or fear from the dams Ethiopia is building on Nile river, pointing out that there are natural barriers before building dams on the Tanna river.

Abo Zeid pointed out that the mechanism of Nile's countries' water ministers is pursuing serious steps to develop water resources to fulfill its requirements without ever touching the shares of the concerned parties.

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Nile countries to discuss water problems in April
Regional, Environment, 3/12/1999

The Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, is due to host the meeting of the water resource ministers council of the 10 Nile basin countries in mid-April, to discuss means of exploiting water and the possibility of carrying out mutual projects to encourage development in these countries. The conference, Egyptian sources told ArabicNews.com today, seeks to discuss the organization of establishing water projects on sub-basins and dams in the Nile River and how to better conserve water in the Nile's source regions in order to allow better use of water without negative effect on the rights of the countries on the northern part of the river.

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Ministerial meeting for Nile Basin countries
North Africa, Economics, 1/8/1999

Ministers of water resources for the Nile Basin countries will convene during March in Kenya to discuss final features for a new cooperation mechanism ratified by experts from the Nile Basin countries during a meeting that took place recently in Nairobi that included the mechanism and the technical, legal and administrative rules necessary for developing the river's resources for the good of the Basin countries' peoples.

An official sources in the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation told ArabicNews.com that the 10 Nile Basin countries the agreed in principle on the new mechanism -- including Ethiopia.

The sources added that the leaders of the countries are expected to sign on the new mechanism after it is ratified by the ministers of the water resources in the Nile Basin countries.

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Ministerial meeting for Nile Basin countries
North Africa, Economics, 1/8/1999

Ministers of water resources for the Nile Basin countries will convene during March in Kenya to discuss final features for a new cooperation mechanism ratified by experts from the Nile Basin countries during a meeting that took place recently in Nairobi that included the mechanism and the technical, legal and administrative rules necessary for developing the river's resources for the good of the Basin countries' peoples.

An official sources in the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation told ArabicNews.com that the 10 Nile Basin countries the agreed in principle on the new mechanism -- including Ethiopia.

The sources added that the leaders of the countries are expected to sign on the new mechanism after it is ratified by the ministers of the water resources in the Nile Basin countries.

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Egypt: Nile water will not go to any country outside the basin
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 4/30/1999

Egyptian Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mahmud Abu Zied said that the Nile water will not go to any country outside the Nile basin.

In the symposium "Water and future requirements," organized by Ein Shams University, the Egyptian minister said, "There are no disputes between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the Nile water," confirming that the Ethiopia projects will not hurt Egypt in any case.

Abu Zied added, "The design of El-Salam canal does not allow transferring any fresh water to Israel because it irrigates 40,000 acres with agricultural drain water treated with the Nile water."

He also denied any negative effects of withdrawing Egyptian ground water for the good of the Libyan Great Manmade River because the effects of withdrawal from any ground well stops at least before 2 kilometers and that Egypt does not withdraw except from its joint ground water with Libya, Chad and Sudan, which is known as the Nubian international stony ground.

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