ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia is hoping that talks with Egypt will ease a row over sharing the waters of the Nile, Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said on Sunday during a trip to Algeria. The dispute erupted after Ethiopia last month began diverting the Blue Nile River for the construction of its 6,000-megawatt Grand Renaissance Dam. A leading governmental official told Bikyanews.com that the East African country had no desire to see violence or war erupt over the construction of the dam and repeated that Ethiopia wanted to discuss the future of water rights along the Nile River with their Egyptian counterparts in order to end the political impasse. "It is time for change in this part of the world and we can no longer rely on treaties made during colonialism. We are ready to work with the Egyptians in order to create something better and positive for all people," a foreign ministry official told Bikyanews.com. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has called for prioritizing cooperation with Egypt in order to achieve the best interest of both countries. Desalegn reaffirmed his cabinet's commitment to cooperate regarding the Nile issue as long as Egypt recognizes Ethiopia's fair share of the Nile water, the Middle East News Agency reported. The Ethiopian parliament ratified a treaty stripping Egypt of its right to the lion's share of the Nile water earlier this month. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said he does not want war but will leave all options open. This step prompted Ethiopia to declare it is ready to defend the $4.7 billion Renaissance Dam. Six Nile Basin countries including Ethiopia have signed the treaty ending Egypt's right to object to building dams along the Nile River. BN
