Ethiopian parliament approves disputed Entebbe water agreement
Ethiopia’s parliament unanimously approved on Thursday a controversial 2010 agreement between 6 Nile Basin countries over the redistribution of Nile River waters, despite opposition from Egypt and Sudan, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported.
The agreement, signed in Uganda’s Entebbe, takes immediate effect following legislative approval by signatory states.
Ethiopia’s cabinet earlier approved the agreement, referring it to parliament after ratification was suspended until Egypt elected a parliament and president following its January 2011 revolution.
Six states had signed the framework agreement in 2010 and 2011: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. South Sudan recently announced it would join the agreement.
Signatories argue the pact is designed for more equitable water sharing on the Nile, while Egypt and Sudan claim historical shares based on a colonial-era agreement signed in 1959.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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