A general view shows construction activity on the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014. Egypt fears the $4.7 billion dam, that the Horn of Africa nation is building on the Nile, will reduce a water supply vital for its 84 million people, who mostly live in the Nile valley and delta. Picture taken March 16, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
The European Union (EU) is not funding the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, said EU Ambassador to Egypt James Moran in a press conference, the MENA state news agency reported.
Moran underlined that the EU is looking into the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam since it affects many countries. He also said the EU is ready to help any country that seeks its assistance related to this issue.
Moran underscored the importance of negotiations between countries in dispute, in order to reach solutions that benefit all parties.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan formed a tripartite technical committee to study the possible effects of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. But the committee's discussions were thwarted in December when Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir announced his support for the dam during a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
Egypt's foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, met last week with his Ethiopian counterpart, Tedros Adhanom, at the two-day EU-Africa Summit in Brussels.
According to Al-Ahram Arabic news website, Fahmy said that his meeting with Adhanom included "a frank and open discussion" on the stance of both Egypt and Ethiopia regarding matters of concern to both states, including Nile water issue and Renaissance Dam.
Meanwhile, Moran said that EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is expected to visit Egypt Wednesday to reaffirm the EU's interest in future cooperation and bilateral relations with Egypt.
He said the EU is keen to help Egypt, especially Upper Egypt that has been lately suffering instability amid general poverty.
Moran also spoke about the EU's supervision of the upcoming presidential elections, saying that Egyptian authorities requested the EU supervise the elections. The union has set a delegation upon this request.
He added that the EU did not supervise the referendum on the constitution that took place in January because the request to supervise it arrived late.
Egypt's presidential poll is scheduled to take place in May.
About Britain's move to investigate the Muslim Brotherhood, Moran said that this concerns only Britain and not EU countries.
=>ahram
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