Water resource ministers from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have been meeting to discuss projects for tapping the waters of the Nile River, reported the BBC.online Monday.
The Nile has been identified by analysts as a potential source of regional conflict over the next 25 years, as water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity, said the news service.
The meeting, in Addis Ababa, was trying to work out a common position, which the Egyptian minister, Mahmud Abu-Zayd said could serve as a springboard for developing the equitable utilization of the river.
The Nile is almost 7,000km long and, with its tributaries, flows though nine countries.
"In the era of globalization, we cannot afford to work in isolation. We are bound by the dictates of the modern global economy and the hydrology of Nile River system to work together for the benefit of our peoples," said Ethiopian water minister, Shiferaw Jarso.
It was announced at the meeting that a donors' consortium will be convened in June in Geneva, where it is hoped international agencies and donor countries will commit themselves to the initiatives taken by the three countries meeting in Addis Ababa, said the news service.
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are among ten African countries known as the Nile basin countries. The other seven are Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda -- Albawaba.com
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