President Hosni Mubarak announced he instructed the government to increase its cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, maintaining constant contact and working on eliminating any obstacles impeding relations with these countries. Mubarak clarified that Egypt's top priority for foreign policy is to realize mutual interests among the peoples of the Nile Basin in all areas, not just in terms of sharing Nile water quotas. He urged the government to increase Egyptian investment in agriculture, tourism, transportation and water resources in order that all parties may benefit from the development. Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Allam said that Egypt and Sudan will offer new proposals to the Nile Basin countries in order to resolve disputes regarding Egypt's and Sudan's quotas. The proposals will be discussed at a meeting of the respective technical committees on 11 and 12 December in Dar el-Salam, Tanzania. "Egypt would not oppose the building of small dams in the southern countries that will not affect our quota," Allam said, pointing to a joint project with Ethiopia to build small dams there and to provide training on the better use of water resources. The minister also said that Egypt will help Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya to drill over a hundred wells to provide drinking water, as part of a US$9.5 million project that will also help to improve the flow of Nile water by destroying water hyacinth, which is an invasive species. "An interministerial committee will also go to Burundi and Congo to propose similar joint projects with Egypt," Allam added. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
