Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia Agree on Overcoming Obstacles in Renaissance Dam Negotiations
The leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia agreed on
Sunday to “overcome any obstacles” encountered during the technical
negotiations over the Renaissance Dam.
In the meeting held on the sidelines of the 32nd
African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi,
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed
that they seek to provide high-level political support to the talks on the
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said
that Sisi stressed the importance of adopting a balanced and cooperative vision
for filling and operating the dam to achieve the interests of the three
countries.
He pointed out that the three leaders underscored
the urgency of developing a unified view on the dam on the basis of the
declaration of principles signed in Khartoum.
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have been negotiating for
seven years over the dam to avoid damaging Egypt’s share of the Nile River,
estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters.
The three states reached an agreement in September
2016 with two French companies to carry out necessary technical studies to
determine the social, environmental and economic consequences resulting from
building the dam.
However, no final results were reached and
negotiations are still ongoing.
