ADDIS ABABA: Eth­iopia’s leader has rejected arbitration by the World Bank on a disagreement with Egypt over a hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River.

Prime Minister Hailem­ariam Desalegn on Saturday refused the suggestion made by Egypt in late December that the World Bank should be brought in to resolve the dispute with Ethiopia over the construction of the dam on the Nile River that Egypt says threatens its water security. Sudan is also part of the negotiations because the Nile flows through it on the way to Egypt.

“Ethiopia will not accept Egypt’s request to include the World Bank in the tripartite technical committee’s talks on the dam,” Desalegn told the state run Ethiopian News Agency.

“There is an opportunity for the three countries to resolve possible disputes by themselves.”

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2018