Sudan has called for continuing negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile river until a satisfactory binding agreement was reached.
The call was made on Wednesday by Sudan’s Foreign Ministry during a briefing it held for the ambassadors of the European Union (EU) and North and South America to Sudan on the latest developments of the GERD negotiation and Khartoum’s position on the issue, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Sudan will be the most affected of all parties in case a binding deal is not reached over the filling and operation processes,” Mohammed Sharif Abdalla, Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying in an official statement.
Noting the risks posed by the GERD to Sudan’s citizens and strategic facilities on the Blue Nile course, especially the Roseires Dam, Abdalla reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the mediation of the African Union.
Sudan decided not to participate in a ministerial meeting regarding the GERD convened on November 21.
The country demands the GERD talks go beyond the level of irrigation ministers to the leaders of the three countries and the African Union and US observers be given a status of mediators, changes in which Egypt and Ethiopia find no interest.
Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been negotiating under the African Union over technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.
Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the project.
Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for its fresh water, are concerned that the dam might affect their water resources.
Meanwhile, Egypt looks forward to taking part in the next round of trilateral talks with Ethiopia and Sudan on an Ethiopian dam built on their shared Nile river, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry’s statement came after the foreign and water ministers of the three countries concluded a virtual meeting, Xinhua reported.
Egypt wants to reach “a binding legal agreement” on how to operate the Ethiopian giant dam as soon as possible, the ministry said.
It also highlighted the necessity of reaching “a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the common interests of the three countries and preserves their water rights.”
During the last round of trilateral talks held earlier this month, Egypt voiced its discontent as no progress was made in the negotiations.
Ethiopia started building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011, which prompted concerns from downstream countries like Sudan and Egypt.
Over the past few years, the tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD, including those recently brokered by the United States and the African Union, have been fruitless.
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