Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's visit to Ethiopia paved the way for settling all pending issues between Egypt and Ethiopia. Discussions between Sharaf and his Ethiopian counterpart, Meles Zenawi, eased potential future relations based on cooperation in dealing with different issues. Sharaf said the era of strained relations between Egypt and south African countries is over. To an Ethiopian news website, Sharaf said, "Egypt's new government announced Egypt is African. The relations between African countries are significant for our future and for the future of our continent." Sharaf confirmed his talks with Ethiopian and Ugandan officials focused on the necessity of cooperation in dealing with issues and disputes about Nile water. "What must be done now is create a new environment for discussions and exchanging ideas," Sharaf said. “No one can prevent Ethiopia from implementing development plans or using its energy resources, but we should take into account that all countries should gain from each other." Sharaf expressed his confidence that the atmosphere has changed, confirmation that Mubarak's policies in dealing with the Nile Basin countries weren't effective. An Ethiopian news website said Egypt depended on two treaties, one concluded in the colonial era to hinder development process in downstream countries and the other to obtain most of the Nile water. The website said the Ethiopian situation ignited the idea for other downstream countries, which are close to ratifying a new treaty to provide them with more water for development. Ethiopia recently started building a new dam to generate electricity, a project that will help the country export energy.
