Ethiopia and Sudan didn’t respond to Egypt’s call to meet over GERD
April 19, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Ethiopia and Sudan didn’t reply to an Egyptian proposition to meet in Cairo this month to resume talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) after the failure of Khartoum meeting.
On 12 April Egypt denied obstructing joint efforts to settle the dispute over the impact of the GERD on Egypt share of water and proposed to meet in Cairo this month to complete the talks about what they engaged in Khartoum.
Speaking to Extranews TV, a local channel, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry regretted that Addis Ababa and Khartoum didn’t respond yet to his invitation.
“Despite all that we have done, we do not see an interest similar to what we have shown, and therefore, we will wait until there is a desire from our partners to raise this issue,” further Shoukry.
Ethiopia and Sudan said Khartoum meeting had been undermined by Egypt because it refused to include a disposition providing that Ethiopia is not concerned by 1959 deal which is a bilateral agreement between Cairo and Khartoum, despite a previous understanding over this point.
After the failure to sign a deal in Khartoum, the three countries agreed that the irrigation ministers should meet alone to fix all the technical issues before to be joined by the foreign ministers and intelligence chiefs.
The meeting of irrigation ministers alone, de facto, means the cancellation of a decision reached by the leaders of the three pays on 29 January providing that the meetings over the GERD issue should include the foreign minister and the head of intelligence services.
Shoukry warned against further delay in the talks while Ethiopia continues the construction of the dam saying that his government will continue to defend the interests of the Egyptian people in the waters of the Nile “through many means”.
“Everyone should know that Egypt will not accept imposing a status quo through which the will of a party is imposed over another,” he further added.
(ST)