Although the Nile Basin Tournament in Cairo is already in full swing off, it remains unclear whether Egypt has scored a goal in its bid to settle disputes over its quota of Nile waters. In addition to the host country, five other African countries ��" Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi ��" are taking part in this friendly tournament suggested by the Egyptian Football Association, in collaboration with the Council of Youth and Sports, in order to help close the ranks between the Nile Basin states. Cairo is expecting that a cordial atmosphere on the pitch will have a positive effect in negotiations over the life-and-death issue of water-sharing. It is unfortunate that Ethiopia, which is not so influential in African football as it is in the water talks, is, for obvious reasons, absent from this soccer tournament. A few weeks ago, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi gave hostile statements, which were strongly refuted by the Egyptian Government. However, Egypt has great expectations that more teams will participate in its annual Nile Basin Tournament next year. There are also hopes that next year's competition will have a happier slogan. For this year's tournament, the host country (Egypt) has chosen the slogan ‘No to terrorism and yes to national unity', after the deadly bombing outside the Qiddissein Church in the coastal city of Alexandria on the New Year's Eve. Let us keep our fingers crossed that by the end of this tournament, teamwork will have been promoted among the Nile Basin countries.
