Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi left the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday to Uganda, the first leg of an African tour that will also include Nile Basin countries Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well, diplomatic sources said.
Fahmi is expected to hold talks during his two-day tour with senior government officials from the three countries on means of boosting relations and the Nile water file, the sources said.
A decision by the Ethiopian government to divert the flow of the Blue Nile, which gives Egypt most of its Nile water share, ushered in diplomatic tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia diverted the flow of the river to pave the way for the construction of a multi-billion dollar dam that Egyptian water experts criticize for potentially affecting water-poor Egypt's Nile water quota.
The situation worsened when several Egyptian politicians suggested launching a military operation against Ethiopia in a closed meeting with ousted president Mohamed Morsi that turned to be broadcast live.
The Ugandan parliament had earlier approved the Nile Basin Initiative, an agreement among Nile Riparian states on redefining Nile water distribution away from colonial era agreements that give Egypt the lion's share of the water of the river.
The agreement also aims to develop the Nile in a cooperative manner among basin countries. Other Nile Basin countries Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania also signed the initiative.
The diplomatic sources said Fahmi's meetings with officials in the three Nile Basin countries will also dwell on current developments in Egypt.
Reporting by Mahmoud al-Husseiny
