Ethiopian Minister of Water Resources and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu said that he holds Egypt responsible for the halt of negotiations between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt on the issue of the Renaissance Dam project.
Senior official sources said Sudan is mediating between Cairo and Addis Ababa to return to the negotiation table.
Tegenu also said that Ethiopia has the right to use its water resources as it pleases and pointed out that the dam would not harm the downstream countries.
The Ethiopian Walta Information Center quoted the minister as saying that Ethiopia was willing to share its water with neighboring countries, even if it was unjust. “This was in the past when we signed the Entebbe agreement,” he said.
Meanwhile, a source at the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation welcomed Ethiopia’s invitation for dialogue, noting that this should take place within a time frame to be agreed upon.
The source also said Egypt is convinced that negotiation is the only way to resolve the problem, denying that Egypt is responsible for halting the negotiations.
“Egypt has the right to take the necessary measures and actions to preserve its water rights when it finds intransigence on the part of Ethiopia,” the source said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
