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dam-l US urged Uganda to expedite dam/LS



A bit old, but very interesting.

United States and Africa

                               America Asks Uganda To Expedite AES Project

                               New Vision (Kampala)
                               September 23, 1999

                               Kampala - President Yoweri Museveni told MPs
yesterday that the American Secretary of Commerce had written to
                               him asking the Ugandan government to
expedite the implementation of the AES Nile Power project at Bujagali.

                               Museveni, who was meeting MPs on the
committee on natural resources at State House, Nakasero, reportedly said
                               that the Americans were concerned that the
Electricity Bill had been delayed. Parliament delayed pronouncing itself
                               on the AES deal until the Electricity Bill
is enacted.

                               The Bill seeks to break the monopoly over
power generation and distribution. It also seeks to regulate the power
                               sector. AES entered an agreement with the
Government to construct a second power dam at Dumbbell Island,
                               Bujagali, eight kilometres north of the Owen
Falls Dam.

                               The deal has since been criticised by some
MPs and the public who have questioned the credibility of AES and the
                               relevance of another power dam in Jinja.

                               Museveni reportedly told the MPs that the
Americans had said that if the Electricity Bill was delayed, AES could quit
                               Uganda. Sources at the meeting quoted the
President as saying such a move would discourage investors.

                               Chua MP Okello-Okello is said to have been
irked by deadlines. "We are an independent country and we should not
                               take orders from Washington or anywhere else."



                               Copyright (c) 1999 New Vision. Distributed
via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org). For information about
                               the content or for permission to
redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.

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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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