Abu Zeid: No disputes among Nile Basin countries

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mahmoud Abu Zeid, denied any disputes among the Nile Basin Countries, asserting that these countries are working within the Nile Basin Initiative.

During his tour including Ethiopia and Uganda, Abu Zeid said that he is conveying messages from President Hosni Mubarak to the leaders of these countries, noting that the tour focuses on widening the joint cooperation to realize development, particularly in regards with water domain.

Abu Zeid left Addis Ababa on Friday heading for Uganda where he will hand President Yoweri Museveni a letter from President Hosni Mubarak.

The letter lays out ways to activate joint African efforts, build the institutions of the African Union and boost bilateral relations.

During talks with his Ethiopian counterpart Shiferaw Jarso, Abu Zeid discussed progress in the construction of a number of projects on the Nile and the sources to fund them.

Jarso, together with Egypt's Ambassador in Addis Ababa Shamil Nasser, accompanied Abu Zeid in a tour along the Blue Nile in the Ethiopian capital.