A presidential aide has apologised for failing to inform attendees that a national meeting about the Ethiopian dam was being aired live on television. “It was initially planned that the national meeting would be recorded and aired the next day, as is usually the case, but due to the importance of the topic it was decided at the last minute to air the meeting live. I forgot to inform the attendees about the changes,” presidential aide for political affairs Pakinam El-Sharqawy said via Facebook late on Monday. Several political figures expressed anger at the mistake because they expressed views they thought would remain secret. Liberal Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour said he was shocked that the meeting had been screened live without informing the participants. It was a “big mistake” because sensitive information was being discussed, he added. The presidential meeting was convened to discuss the findings of an eagerly awaited report by a tripartite commission – including Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian representatives – tasked with studying the Ethiopian dam's potential impact on downstream states.
