Ethiopia dam talks have failed, says Egypt

Egypt has said that the latest talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the River Nile have failed, but added that it would still monitor the process of filling and operating the dam. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation on Tuesday, Reuters has reported, pointing out that Egypt “reserves its right, in accordance with international charters and accords, to defend its water and national security from harm.”

The ministry explained that, “The meeting was unsuccessful due to Ethiopia’s persistent refusal… to accept any of the technical or legal compromise solutions that would safeguard the interests of all three countries [Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt].”

Ethiopia, however, said Egypt was unwilling to compromise. “Ethiopia remains committed to reach an amicable and negotiated settlement that addresses the interests of the three countries and looks forward to the resumption of the negotiation,” insisted the foreign ministry in Addis Ababa. The regime in Egypt, it claimed has “misrepresented” the Ethiopian positions in the talks. “Cairo’s colonial era mentality erected roadblocks against efforts toward convergence.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in July that they would aim to finalise a deal over the disputed dam within four months. Years of stop-start talks have proved unsuccessful.

The government in Cairo has long opposed the project because of worries about its future supplies of water from the Nile, on which it is heavily dependent. Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the regulation and safety of its own water supplies and dams.

Ethiopia argues that it is exercising its right to economic development. The government said in September that it had completed the final phase of filling the reservoir for a massive hydroelectric power plant at the dam on the Blue Nile.

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