CAIRO. June 5: Nile waters are to be channeled for the first .desgruu _

eastern Egypt via a canatfrom 1997. Public Works and Water Resources Minister Abdel Hadi Radi said yesterday, according to AFP.

. He iOld Al w 11,1 newspaper the Salem (peace) canal would pass under the Suez . anal into the Sinai, which neighbouring Israel evacuated in 1982 after 15 years of occupation.

The Salam canal should be ready for use in the first quarter of 1997. some four billion cubic metres (140 billion cubic feet) of water will be used for the irrigation of 160.000 hectares (400.000 acres) the minister said. •

He said the government aims to irrigate 600.000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of the Sinai desert after the completion of other projects at-a total cost of 700 million.