Egypt's prime minister, seeking a Nile River ally,
visits Southern Sudan, offers aid projects
28 March, 2011 | By The Associated Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------
newest country electricity, health and education projects in the hopes
Southern Sudan will be an ally on the Nile River.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf visited Southern Sudan on Monday.
Paul Mayom Akech, Southern Sudan's minister for water and
irrigation, said electricity, education and health projects were
discussed. Southern Sudan and Egypt signed a memorandum of
understanding but no details were disclosed.
Last year Nile countries like Ethiopia and Tanzania signed an
agreement that pits them against Egypt and northern Sudan. A 1929
treaty between Egypt and Britain gives Egypt majority rights to the
Nile's waters. Upstream countries want to use the Nile for
development projects. Source
Egypt seeks food and water security in Sudan
By Abdelmoneim Abu Edries Ali (AFP)
Jonglei Canal, because it is a top priority. It offers to provide four
billion cubic metres of Nile water (annually)."
The 360-kilometre (220-mile) canal project, which would drain the
swamps in south Sudan's Jonglei state and carry the water into the
White Nile, was begun in 1978 but abandoned just six years later
after a raid by southern rebels.
Radi was speaking after a joint ministerial meeting on the first day of a
two-day visit to Sudan by an Egyptian delegation led by Sharaf, which
also includes the foreign, agriculture and irrigation ministers.
It is their first such foreign trip since the new government was
appointed by the army after weeks of nationwide protests toppled
veteran Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last month.
Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi said his country would be the second,
after Sudan, to recognise an independent south, when it splits from the
north in July, following January's landmark referendum.
Sudan is an important ally for Egypt both in terms of its agricultural
potential and in Cairo's efforts to secure an acceptable agreement with
upstream Nile countries about the future of its vital water supplies.
Sharaf said Egypt was the third largest investor in Sudan, with current
investments amounting to $5.4 billion, and that he wanted to see this
rise.
The Egyptian premier highlighted an agreement by the joint ministerial
committee to develop food security through different agricultural
projects in Sudan.
"The first strategic project for us is meat production and ethanol
production. We will also have a contractual partnership in the Gezira
scheme," he said, referring to Sudan's vast but neglected farming
project on land between the Blue and White Nile, south of Khartoum.
Sudanese officials said that 41,000 feddan (17,000 hectares) of land
in White Nile state had been set aside for the meat project.
Egypt's Minister of Agriculture, Ayman Abu Hadid, described some
of the food projects as urgent, saying that the production of meat and
sugar could start within six months.
Egypt is particularly keen to develop closer ties with south Sudan as it
fears its vital water supplies could be dangerously reduced if upstream
countries are able to divert the Nile's flow without consultation.
Radi said Egypt wanted to help Africa's newest nation-to-be and was
already developing electricity and education projects in the
impoverished region.
The Egyptian delegation will travel to Juba on Monday.
Courtesy
visits Southern Sudan, offers aid projects
28 March, 2011 | By The Associated Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------
newest country electricity, health and education projects in the hopes
Southern Sudan will be an ally on the Nile River.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf visited Southern Sudan on Monday.
Paul Mayom Akech, Southern Sudan's minister for water and
irrigation, said electricity, education and health projects were
discussed. Southern Sudan and Egypt signed a memorandum of
understanding but no details were disclosed.
Last year Nile countries like Ethiopia and Tanzania signed an
agreement that pits them against Egypt and northern Sudan. A 1929
treaty between Egypt and Britain gives Egypt majority rights to the
Nile's waters. Upstream countries want to use the Nile for
development projects. Source
Egypt seeks food and water security in Sudan
By Abdelmoneim Abu Edries Ali (AFP)
- KHARTOUM — Egypt will
make the completion of a
partially-built canal spanning
an unnavigable section of the
river Nile in south Sudan a
top priority, a cabinet
spokesman said on Sunday.
- As Prime Minister Essam
Sharaf visited Egypt's soon-
to-be partitioned southern
neighbour, cabinet
spokesman Magdi Radi told a
Jonglei Canal, because it is a top priority. It offers to provide four
billion cubic metres of Nile water (annually)."
The 360-kilometre (220-mile) canal project, which would drain the
swamps in south Sudan's Jonglei state and carry the water into the
White Nile, was begun in 1978 but abandoned just six years later
after a raid by southern rebels.
Radi was speaking after a joint ministerial meeting on the first day of a
two-day visit to Sudan by an Egyptian delegation led by Sharaf, which
also includes the foreign, agriculture and irrigation ministers.
It is their first such foreign trip since the new government was
appointed by the army after weeks of nationwide protests toppled
veteran Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last month.
Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi said his country would be the second,
after Sudan, to recognise an independent south, when it splits from the
north in July, following January's landmark referendum.
Sudan is an important ally for Egypt both in terms of its agricultural
potential and in Cairo's efforts to secure an acceptable agreement with
upstream Nile countries about the future of its vital water supplies.
Sharaf said Egypt was the third largest investor in Sudan, with current
investments amounting to $5.4 billion, and that he wanted to see this
rise.
The Egyptian premier highlighted an agreement by the joint ministerial
committee to develop food security through different agricultural
projects in Sudan.
"The first strategic project for us is meat production and ethanol
production. We will also have a contractual partnership in the Gezira
scheme," he said, referring to Sudan's vast but neglected farming
project on land between the Blue and White Nile, south of Khartoum.
Sudanese officials said that 41,000 feddan (17,000 hectares) of land
in White Nile state had been set aside for the meat project.
Egypt's Minister of Agriculture, Ayman Abu Hadid, described some
of the food projects as urgent, saying that the production of meat and
sugar could start within six months.
Egypt is particularly keen to develop closer ties with south Sudan as it
fears its vital water supplies could be dangerously reduced if upstream
countries are able to divert the Nile's flow without consultation.
Radi said Egypt wanted to help Africa's newest nation-to-be and was
already developing electricity and education projects in the
impoverished region.
The Egyptian delegation will travel to Juba on Monday.
Courtesy
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