Ethiopia reiterated allegations that Egypt supports insurgents in Ethiopia, saying it has evidence verifying its claims.

The Ethiopian Communications Minister said his country has proof that Cairo has been supporting insurgent groups in Ethiopia and that his country will reveal these documents at the appropriate time.

Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zinawi, also made these claims a few days ago while discussing a recent crisis that broke out between Nile Basin countries concerning the distribution of Nile water quotas.

Addressing Zinawi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that no country has the ability to isolate Egypt from the rest of the African continent.  

Egypt is the second largest economy, has the biggest military and the most active diplomatic power in Africa, added Aboul Gheit.

Five upstream countries signed in April an agreement in Entebbe, Uganda, which redistributed Nile water despite objections by downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

Egypt receives the lion's share of Nile water according to an agreement signed with Sudan in 1959.

Egypt says that the agreements signed in 1929--when Egypt was still under British occupation-- and in 1959 stipulate that the approval of all Nile Basin countries is required for any project to use Nile water.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, says it needs to build dams which it claims will not harm Egyptian and Sudanese interests.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.