KAMPALA (AFP) - Egypt's Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation Nasr Eddin Allam denied claims that the Egyptian Government was a roadblock to talks aimed at renegotiating colonial agreements over the use of River Nile.
Allam made the remarks during a mediabriefing in Kampala yesterday to highlight the progress of an Egypt-Ugandan partner-ship to clear the hyacinth weed from Ugandan water.A conflict has been brewing between Egypt, Sudan and other Nile Basin coun-tries over the content of colonial agree-ments that favoured Egypt and Sudan over exploitation of the Nile.“Egypt has never been and will never be a stumbling block to any Nile Basin coun-try,”Allam said, adding that his country respected the right of every member to use the Nile for it development.He, however, said a 'roadmap' had been drawn up which includes three meetings of ministers of water and technical advisory committee from Nile Basin countries.The first of the meetings is currently tak-ing place in Kampala, while another will take place in Dar-es-Salaam in December and another in Egypt in January.It will be followed by a ministerial coun-cil meeting to be held in the first week of March.
