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Egypt calls for fair and

sustainable GERD agreement

EGYP[T EGYPT’S irrigation minister has called for a fair legal and technical points.
and sustainable end to the dispute with Ethiopia These disagreements, such as how and when
and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renais- Ethiopia can fill the dam reservoirs at the 4,600-
sance Dam (GERD). MW project, the legal procedure for settling dis-
Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed putes and Egypt and Sudan’s future water rights,
Abdel-Ati said only a final agreement between have stood in the way of any deal.
the three countries could secure the long-term Egypt and Sudan have always wanted a legally
interests of all three countries. binding agreement based on existing Nile trea-
Abdel-Ati said in a ministry statement that ties, while Addis Ababa has been more keen to
agreement on GERD was crucial for the national reach a new agreement with its two neighbours.
security of Egypt and for regional security and Negotiations went nowhere in 2019, while
integration. meetings in Washington sponsored by the US
“There is no way out but reaching a fair and and World Bank in February were also fruitless.
sustainable agreement (on GERD) that leads to The disputes almost reached boiling point at
regional integration and guarantees the joint the end of July, when during a pause in the talks
interests of the three countries,” the minister said. Ethiopia said it had completed the first phase of
He expressed his hope to reach a binding filling the GERD reservoir.
deal on the rules of filling and operating the dam The talks were further halted when Sudan
that ensures the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia and called for a suspension of meetings to allow for
Sudan. consultations after Addis Ababa had proposed a
The minister also reiterated that Egypt would package of non-binding guidelines for the filling
never relinquish its current rights to the Nile and and operation of the mega-dam.
its water under any circumstances. Cairo fears the $4.8bn hydropower project,
The statement of Egypt’s desire for agreement built 15 km from the Ethiopian border with
on one hand while also insisting that its interests Sudan, will significantly cut its crucial water
in the management of the Nile waters are not supplies from the River Nile, while Sudan fears it
damaged comes during a lull in talks with the could endanger the safety of its own dams.
other two countries. Ethiopia says the project is key to its devel-
The recent round of talks mediated by the opment and hopes to become Africa’s biggest
African Union (AU) ended at the end of August electricity exporter.™
without any consensus on a number of detailed

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 37 17•September•2020