Reports on Ethiopian-Israeli cooperation on Nile projects denied
Ethiopia-Israel, Economics, 5/19/2001

An Ethiopian Minister on Thursday denied reports that Israel was taking part in any irrigation or electricity projects on the River Nile.

"There is no cooperation between Ethiopia and Israel in Nile Basin projects," Ethiopian Water Resources Minister Shiferaw Jarso affirmed.

Ethiopia could receive the money needed for carrying out any projects from the World Bank (WB) and friendly donor countries, but not from Israel, he said at a press conference he held following the opening session of Eastern Nile Basin Water Ministers.

Jarso said that Israel has nothing to do with Ethiopian waters but it participates in international tenders, announced by his country, for tap water projects.

On the other hand, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mahmoud Abu Zeid opened meetings of Irrigation Ministers of Eastern Nile Basin countries, comprising Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The meeting was attended by Sudanese Irrigation Minister Kamal Ali, Ethiopian Minister of Water Resources Shiferaw Jarso, irrigation experts from the three countries and a World Bank official.

Addressing the opening session, Abu Zeid said that the two-day meetings comes ahead of the donor nations conference to be held under the auspices of the World Bank in Geneva in June.

The aim of the conference is to muster financing necessary for studies on development projects in the Nile Basin.

Previous Stories:
  Agricultural cooperation between Israel, Ethiopia   (3/1/2001)

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