Egypt government has approached the United Nations Security Council to intervene to restart negotiation talks With Ethiopia and Sudan on the $4.6bn hydroelectric Nile dam which is being constructed by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile River near the border with Sudan, in order to reach a fair solution for all three countries, reported The Egypt Today.
Multiple rounds of talks over the years between the three countries have failed to reach a deal for the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Negotiations have been ongoing throughout June with the involvement of some international observers including the United States, European Union and South Africa.
The latest round of talks had started on June 9 through video conference. But, unfortunately, the talks “made little progress,” especially with regard to the legal status of the massive hydroelectric dam Ethiopia plans to fill.
Addis Ababa has declared that is planning to start filling the dam from next month, regardless of whether a deal was reached.
In an interview with The Associated Press news agency on Friday, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said the government is working hard to reach a deal, but still it plans to go ahead with the schedule irrespective of the outcome.
Egypt, which is almost entirely dependent on the Nile for its fresh-water supplies, is concerned that the dam will significantly curtail its water supply if filled too quickly. It sees the dam as a potentially existential threat and wants to secure a legally binding deal that would guarantee minimum flows.
Egypt has appealed to the UN Security Council “to intervene to emphasize the importance that three countries … continue negotiations in good faith,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Arab Republic of Egypt took this decision in light of the stalled negotiations that took place recently on the Renaissance Dam as a result of Ethiopian stances that are not positive,” the statement said.
