(The Sheba Post). The new Egyptian administration has made it clear today that they want to see the Ethiopian PM Meles, who defies Egypt’s unreasonable and long term dominance on Nile River, to go from power. In what only could be characterized as meddling in Ethiopian internal affairs, the Egyptian ministry of water and irrigation was quoted by Bikyamasr as saying “…the potential of seeing a new leader in Ethiopia, they hoped the tension over Nile River water could be resolved.”

Ethiopia is constructing a multibillion-dollar Grand Millennium Dam on Nile River that could supply more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity for domestic and international market. The construction of this dam, which Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi laid the cornerstone in March of 2011, has never been welcomed by Egypt. It considers Grand Millennium Dam as a direct challenge to its ‘historical and natural-right’ of the Nile River and Ethiopia’s PM Meles as someone who is undermining and overshadowing it’s long and unchallenged political dominance in the region.

PM Meles was last seen in public at the G-20 meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico. According to reliable source the prime minister is ‘in a good condition’ in Addis Ababa, while the opposition media ESAT citing International Crisis Group (ICG) reported that he was dead few days ago. Since that report ICG had twice refuted that claim and said it is not in position to comment on PM Meles health.

However, the new Islamic Government of Egypt today made it clear that it is getting ready for a post-Meles Ethiopia scenario and started to frame its regional policies and strategies based on discredited ESAT news. According to Bikyamasr the Egyptian ministry of water and irrigation said “while this can in no way be official policy at this point, I believe that there would be more maneuvering with a new leadership in Ethiopia because there would be the ability to communicate and not be seen as antagonistic.” 

The Ethiopian government spokesman, Bereket Simon, recently said that there is no change of leadership in Ethiopia. According to BBC News Ato Bereket said: "the status quo is maintained - there is no change and there will be no change in the near future." Egypt has always considered stable and prosperous Ethiopia as a threat to its existence. Past and present governments have always accused Egypt of directly or indirectly working to destabilize Ethiopia.

Since it came to power by popular revolution, the new Islamic government of Egypt has been in a power struggle with the military elites that still controls most important decision in Egypt. Therefore, this statement by the minister of water and irrigation of Egypt could only be interpreted as an attempt by the weak Islamic government to assert its domestic and external influence by deliberately capitalizing on discredited news of PM Meles’s health. But Egypt must know that Ethiopia and Ethiopian will not tolerate any interference in their internal affair and to its dismay the Grand Millennium Dam will be competed as planned.