U.S., EU say willing to mediate GERD issue: Sudanese government

March 29, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – The United States and the European Union are ready to help the three riparian countries resolve their dispute over the filing and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Sovereign Council said on Monday.

U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth and EU Representative to Sudan Robert van den Dool met with the head of the Sovereign Council Abdell-Burhan on Monday to discuss the GERD and border tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia.

The U.S. and EU envoys have expressed their readiness to mediate in the Grand Renaissance Dam issue, said a statement released by the Sudanese collegial presidency after the meeting.

“They stressed the need to reach a negotiated solution to the dispute over the dam in a way that satisfies the three parties,” reads the statement.

“Ethiopia must enjoy electricity, Sudan ensures the safety of its territorial integrity and dams, and Egypt gets its water rights,” stressed the statement.

Before too arrive in Khartoum, Booth met the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, on 24 March.

Mekonnen “expressed Ethiopia’s interest in sustaining the African Union-led talks under the Chairmanship of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said the Ethiopian foreign ministry after the meeting

Further, “He said talks to change the modalities of the negotiations should be treated according to the provisions of the DOP, which was signed by the tripartite in 2015,” added the statement.

Sudan has called for an international led by the African Union, including the EU, the U.S. and the United Nations.

The two diplomats also discussed with al-Burhan the border standoff with Ethiopia, according to the statement.

(ST)