Africa

Africa

UN chief urges Egypt, Ethiopia to resolve differences on dam project through dialogue

15 June 2013 03:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has urged Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve their differences over a proposed dam project on the Nile River through dialogue, a UN spokesman said Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Ban spoke by telephone with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Thursday and with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Friday respectively, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters.

The UN chief "spoke with both leaders about the proposed dam project on the Nile River and expressed his desire that they engage in dialogue to resolve differences on that matter," Nesirky said.

In late May, Ethiopia started diversion of the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River's two tributaries, as a preparatory step for building its Renaissance Dam.

The move raised concerns in Egypt over its share of Nile water as it is one of the two downstream Nile Basin countries.

Egypt's annual share of Nile water is 55.5 billion cubic meters, reports said.