Egypt and Ethiopia hold Blue Nile talks

Egypt’s foreign ministry has claimed that the Ethiopian government has pledged to work alongside Egypt and not impinge on the state's quota of Nile water. In a statement, the ministry confirmed that its head of the African affairs committee, Ambassador Ali Hefny, met the Ethiopian Ambassador Mahmoud Dardir in Cairo, to discuss Ethiopia's construction of a major dam on the Blue Nile. Hefny said that Egypt is waiting for a report from a committee of international experts on how the establishment of the Ethiopian dam would impact on water quotas. The committee includes experts from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Hefny argued that all three countries should take findings of the committee seriously, so that the interests of state citizens are given priority. The Egyptian diplomat praised the Ethiopian pledges not to harm Egyptian interests, and said he hoped they would stick to the pledges. Ethiopia's proposal, announced on Tuesday, diverts the course of the Blue Nile, as part of its project to build a series of new dams for electricity production. The move has prompted criticism from downstream Egypt and Sudan, since the step could negatively affect both countries' water quotas. The Blue Nile provides Egypt with the lion's share of its annual 55 billion cubic metres of river water.