Ethiopian Parliament Votes Unanimously To Strip Egypt Of Veto Power Over Nile's Waters In Dam Fight

Ethiopia's parliament unanimously ratified a treaty on Thursday that strips Egypt of its right to the lion's share of the Nile river waters, raising the political temperature in a dispute between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the construction of a dam.

The parliament's move follows days of irate exchanges between two of Africa's most populous nations over Ethiopia's new hydroelectric plant, which Egypt fears will reduce a water supply vital for its 84 million people.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Monday he did not want "war" but would keep "all options open", prompting Ethiopia to say it was ready to defend its $4.7 billion Great Renaissance Dam near the border with Sudan.

Ethiopia and five other Nile basin countries - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda - have now signed a deal effectively stripping Cairo of its veto, based on colonial-era treaties, over dam projects on the Nile, source of nearly all of Egypt's water.

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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ethiopia-ratifies-nile-treaty-in-sn