[Al Ahram] Æthiopia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday the country has no intention of suspending construction of what would be the biggest hydro electric plant on the continent, a project Egypt says could cost it vital water supplies.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr is expected to travel to Addis Ababa on Sunday for talks on a giant dam Æthiopia is building on the Nile, as the countries seek a diplomatic solution to an increasingly heated dispute.
Tensions have risen this week between two of Africa's most populous nations, after President Mohamed Mursi said Egypt did not want "war" but would keep "all options open" to avoid losing any water.
Some Egyptian politicians were also caught on camera last week talking of air strikes or backing Æthiopian rebels after the start of major new work on the $4.7 billion Grand Renaissance Dam took Cairo by surprise.
Æthiopia has dismissed talk of military action as "psychological warfare".
"The minister of foreign affairs (of Egypt) probably will be arriving on the 16th of this month," Dina Mufti, front man at Æthiopia's foreign affairs ministry, told news hounds.
"This is in the spirit of Æthiopian interest - Æthiopia has always been open and we've always been interested in discussions," he said, speaking in English. |