By Ahram Online
June 10, 2014
Egypt's newly elected President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he would not allow a rift to develop between Cairo and Addis Ababa, who have been locked in a stalemate over access to the Nile water.Ties between Egypt and Ethiopia have soured since Addis Ababa launched the construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam that Egypt fears will substantially harm its share of the Nile River, the country's main source of potable water.
However, El-Sisi unequivocally stated during his inaugural address at the Qubba Palace on Sunday evening that he would not allow friction to take place with Ethiopia.
"I won't allow the Renaissance Dam to cause a crisis or problem with sisterly Ethiopia," he said in the speech addressed to Egyptian public figures after he was sworn in as president of Egypt.
El-Sisi stressed that Egypt is keen on safeguarding Pan-Africanism which, he said, the country cannot disengage from.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom has invited Egypt's newly-inaugurated President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to visit his country, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.
The invitation came during a meeting on Monday at the presidential headquarters in Cairo's Heliopolis district, where El-Sisi met with Adhanom in addition to Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy and Ethiopia's ambassador to Egypt, Mahmoud Dardeer.
A spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, Ihab Badawy, said that El-Sisi stressed the deep, historical bonds between the two countries and insisted that the issue concerning Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam "should be solved through dialogue".
El-Sisi said that Egypt understands Ethiopia's needs for development and thus Ethiopia should understand Egypt's needs to its share of the Nile.
According to Badawy, the Ethiopian foreign minister stressed that his country does not intend to minimise Egypt's share of Nile water and that the dam's purpose is to generate electricity.
Adhanom also said that he is looking forward to having El-Sisi meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the African Union Summit scheduled to take place in late June in Equatorial Guinea.
Meanwhile, El-Sisi showed his intention to visit Ethiopia to stress the importance of cooperation between the two countries.
Ties between the two countries have soured since Addis Ababa began construction on a hydroelectric dam that Cairo fears will substantially harm its share of the Nile, the country's main source of potable water.
On Sunday, Adhanom headed a delegation that attended El-Sisi's swearing-in ceremony at Ittihadiya presidential palace. Other attendees included Arab royals, African leaders and dignitaries from among Egypt's western allies.
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