14th round of talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over Renaissance Dam fail – Middle East Monitor

May 18, 2017 at 2:11 pm | Published in: Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, News, Sudan

Image of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia [file photo]

May 18, 2017 at 2:11 pm

The 14th round of talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the latter’s Renaissance Dam on the River Nile have failed. A statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation said on Tuesday that some remaining unresolved points will be discussed later, without announcing the date and place of the new meeting.

The ministry pointed out said that this round of talks of the Tripartite National Committee aimed to study the effects of the dam on the respective countries’ share of water from the great river. The meetings were attended by specialists from all three countries and the current stage of the discussions will focus on determining the technical details of the method to be followed when conducting studies of the dam.

According to Sudanese sources, however, “The Ethiopian side was obstinate toward Egyptian options during the tripartite negotiations, not least with regard to the period while the lake behind the dam is being filled, which is expected to reduce Egypt’s annual share of Nile water.”

Read: Ethiopia thwarts attempted attack on Renaissance Dam

Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, the sources also said that Ethiopia maintained an inflexible position with regards to the mechanism of operating the dam, disregarding Egypt’s and Sudan’s water needs.'