The Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese ministers of Water Resources and Irrigation will meet in Khartoum early next week to sign a contract with the French consulting office conducting technical studies on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The signing comes after two years of negotiations and tense discussion between the countries over the potential impact of the project on the three Nile basin nations. Egypt has been reviewing the items of the contract with UK-based law firm Corbett, the administrative and financial intermediary for the deal between the three countries. An assessment of the potential economic and social impact of the project on Egypt and Sudan is also to be supplied in the studies. A tripartite committee from Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt was formed to discuss objections to the dam's construction, and it was agreed in 2014 that environmental impact studies would be conducted.

Source: Egypt Independent August 31, 2016 10:52 UTC