Irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia on Sunday resumed their negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for the second day in Khartoum, to determine the rules of filling the dam’s reservoir.
The meeting also addressed the outstanding issues regarding the operation of the dam, as well as coordination between the three countries in dealing with drought periods of the Nile River.
A Sudanese journalist told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity that the negotiations centered around the years of filling the dam’s reservoir, but the three parties were unable to agree on a certain solution.
Egypt and Sudan are concerned about Ethiopia’s plan to fill the dam with 74bn cubic metres in a period of 3-5 years, with an annual rate of 20-25bn cubic metres, the journalist said.
On Saturday, Ethiopian Irrigation Minister Selishi Bekele said the first phase of filling the GERD’s reservoir would begin in July 2020.
Khartoum’s meeting is part of a round of technical negotiations that started in November as a result of an agreement reached by the three countries after mediation from the US.
During the previous US mediation meeting, the three countries agreed to hold four rounds of talks in Cairo, Addis Ababa, Khartoum, and then in Addis Ababa again in attendance of US and World Bank representatives as observers until 15 January 2020. In addition, two meetings will be held in the US to follow up on the progress of negotiations between the three countries.
