NBI extra-ordinary meeting kicks off in Khartoum

An extra-ordinary meeting of members of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) started here Saturday.
Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi is leading Egypt's delegation to the conference for the first time in five years.
Egypt has frozen its NBI activities following the Entebbe Framework Agreement that harms Egypt's historical rights to the Nile water.
Sudan's Electricity Minister Motaz Moussa delivered the inaugural speech.
He welcomed Egypt back to the conference, hoping it would return to the NBI as soon as possible.
Moussa touched upon Khartoum's vital role in promoting a sense of benefit sharing rather than water sharing among NBI members.
The NBI is a partnership among the Nile riparian states that "seeks to develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security."
The NBI began with a dialogue among the riparian states that resulted in a shared vision to “achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources."
It was formally launched in February 1999 by the water ministers of nine countries that share the river: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Eritrea as an observer.