Three-nation talks on River Nile collapses

Talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over the use of the River Nile have collapsed, news agency AFP reports, quoting Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour.

A 17-hour discussion between foreign ministers and intelligence officers failed to resolve differences over Ethiopia's $4bn (£2bn) Grand Renaissance Dam being built along the Nile.

"We spent the whole day talking as ordered by the leaders of the three countries, but we didn't reach an agreement... I can't specify what the disagreements were, but they were technical issues," Mr Ghandour told reporters.

Egypt is opposed to Ethiopia's aim to produce 6,000 megawatts of hydro-electric power - the equivalent of six nuclear-powered plants.

It says that upstream diversion of the longest river in the world would have catastrophic effects on its water supply and agriculture.

Moreover it maintains it has historic rights as guaranteed by treaties signed in 1929 and 1959, which gives it access to 87% of the waters and a veto power to upstream projects.

Sudan on the other hand has got over its disapproval of the Ethiopian project and now sees it as a solution to the flooding problem in the country.

The Blue and the White Nile tributaries converge in the the capital, Khartoum.



BBC


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