Technical disagreements behind withdrawal of Dutch office from Renaissance Dam studies

Technical disagreements were behind the withdrawal of Dutch consultancy office from studies on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, adviser to the minister of irrigation and water resources for dams and the River Nile affairs said Tuesday.

Alaa Yassin said the differences concentrated on the way of cooperation in carrying out the studies concerning the side effects of the Ethiopian dam on the downstream countries.

These unresolved disputes forced the Dutch firm to withdraw, Yassin added.

The Dutch consultancy office has decided not to participate in studies as it refused conditions imposed by the Tripartite National Committee that includes representatives from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, and the French consultancy firm BRL.

The Dutch firm said that these conditions did not provide sufficient guarantees to carry out an independent high-quality study, sources said.

Well-placed sources in Egypt's Irrigation Ministry on Tuesday said that Cairo considers alternatives to revive talks on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam following the withdrawal of the Dutch consultancy office.

The sources revealed that Egyptian caretaker irrigation minister of Hossam Moghazi started a series of consultations with Egyptian members of the Tripartite National Committee and his senior aides to discuss the Egyptian position within the context of recent developments.

Earlier in August, the TNC previously agreed to give 70 percent of the research workload to the French consultancy firm, while the other 30 percent was given to the Dutch firm.

The two foreign consultancy firms were supposed to reach an agreement and deliver their reports on the fifth of September to a committee of representatives and experts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.