Egypt accepts delay of Ethiopia dam meeting as protests rage

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Foreign Ministry says it accepts Ethiopia's request to delay a meeting about a dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile River, after Addis Ababa declared a state of emergency amid the worst anti-government protests in decades.

The meeting, which was to discuss contentious issues over the dam, which Egypt fears could reduce its share of the Nile waters, was to include Sudan and take place in Khartoum on Feb. 24-25.

Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said on Sunday that Egypt understands "the circumstances that might have led Ethiopia to request delaying the meeting," which Cairo hopes will be rescheduled soon.