CAIRO, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says allegations Egypt supports rebel groups in Ethiopia are untrue.
Mubarak said he was surprised when Ethiopia made the accusation Tuesday because he thought the two countries enjoyed a good relationship, the BBC reported.
However, the two countries disagree over how to share the waters of the Nile River and Ethiopia has led efforts to end a colonial-era treaty that gave Egypt and Sudan 90 percent of the river's water.
The countries that share the river's water have unsuccessfully attempted to reach an agreement over its use for 13 years, the report said.
East African countries through which the river flows back Ethiopia's demands for a new deal.
Egypt's farmers are almost wholly dependent on the Nile and its water, and in Egypt water is considered a matter of national security, the report said.
