Egypt’s prime minister says negotiations over Renaissance Dam 'currently difficult'

Acting Egyptian Prime Minister, Ismail Sharif, described on Monday talks between Egypt and Ethiopia over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam as “very difficult”.

Ismail told reporters at the cabinet in Cairo that “time is an influential factor, and Egypt works to ensure its right are protected”.

“Egypt’s main focus is to preserve its historical share of water from the River Nile, and that the dam will not be used for any purposes that are not developmental or economical” the prime minister added.

Egypt’s Akhbar newspaper reported on Sunday that negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia have reached a “critical stage”.

The Cairo administration says Addis Ababa is constructing the dam at a faster pace than the technical studies.

Egypt fears the dam will influence its annual share of Nile water which is estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic metres of water.

Read: Egypt asks UAE to help solve Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam crisis