The government of Ethiopia blamed Sudan and Egypt for failing to proceed with the talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Nile.
The claim comes after Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected a decision by Arab League which called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene in the GERD talks to make Ethiopia sign a binding agreement before undertaking the second phase water filling of the controversial dam.
“It is the intransigence of both Egypt and Sudan, which has made it extremely difficult to make any meaningful progress in the tripartite negotiation,” said spokesperson of the Ministry, Dina Mufti, during a biweekly press briefing on Wednesday.
Ethiopia sees the move by the Arab League as a “futile attempt to internationalize and politicize the GERD will not lead to sustainable regional cooperation in the utilization and management of the Nile.”
Dina said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a development project and does not merit UNSC intervention, as Ethiopia has committed itself to a fair use of the water without compromising the principle of equity.
Egypt and Sudan, both members of the Arab League States, have been pushing for a binding agreement before Ethiopia undertakes the second phase of the dam filling scheduled for next July.
MG/abj/APA