Ethiopia, Sudan Discuss Details on Railway

Ethiopia and Sudan are studying the details of the construction of a railway linking the two countries, a senior Ethiopian official said Thursday in Addis Ababa.

Experts from Ethiopia, Sudan and a Chinese civil engineering corporation are currently conducting the study, said Ethiopian Transport and Communications Minister Mohamud Drir.

Mohamud revealed that Ethiopia is also planning to construct a railway linking neighboring Kenya.

Last month, the Ethiopian government announced that Ethiopia and Sudan reached an agreement in March, 2000 to build a 2,000- kilometer cross-border railway.

The planned project will cost about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, Mohamud said, adding that preparations are underway to seek both local and foreign partnership.

Also on Thursday, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin held a meeting here with a visiting Sudanese business delegation, during which he said the peoples of Ethiopia and Sudan should promote cooperation and partnership for mutual benefits.






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