A Nile dam project has Ethiopia and Egypt butting heads and has already led to a major gaffe by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi that could threaten relations between the two nations.<\/p>\n
The dispute stems from a plan to divert the Blue Nile by 550 yards off its natural course in order for Ethiopia to build a dam.<\/p>\n
The Blue Nile is one of two tributaries of the Nile, which Egypt and Sudan both sit upstream from.<\/p>\n
Ethiopia has denied that the shift will affect water levels in Egypt and Sudan, since they rely heavily on the river for their water supply.<\/p>\n
“There is no problem with the river levels,” said Addis Tadele, spokesman for the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo).<\/p>\n
Egypt and Sudan recently held meetings in Cairo to discuss the project, with the former opposing the project and the latter satisfied with guarantees from the Ethiopian government.<\/p>\n
Egyptian politicians have also held what they thought to be secret meetings about the project.<\/p>\n
However, a scandal emerged after Egyptian political heavyweights, not realizing they were live on-air, began discussing ways to sabotage the dam project.<\/p>\n
Ayman Nour, the head of Egypt’s Ghad party, suggested pressuring Ethiopia by announcing a purchase of war planes and interfering covertly in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs.<\/p>\n
He also criticized Sudan’s perceived soft stance on the issue, reported the Telegraph.<\/p>\n