/ 13 July 1999

FURTHER EPUPA DELAYS

A MEETING between Namibia and Angola on the Epupa hydropower project, which was scheduled to start today, has been postponed after officials from Luanda indicated they could not attend. The ongoing war in Angola has been blamed for the officials’ failure to arrive for the key two-day meeting, which is scheduled to discuss crucial differences between the two countries on the energy project. The meeting has already been postponed several times and there are fears that the Angolan government is not interested in finalising the project. It is not clear when the meeting will take place as Luanda has to indicate which dates are acceptable. The two countries are at odds over where to build the dam on the Kunene river. The Angolans favour a smaller dam in the Baynes Mountains, whereas Namibia wants a dam in the area of the Epupa Falls.