Egypt regretted on Saturday that there was no apparent progress in ongoing negotiations over a controversial Nile dam due to "Ethiopia's continuous intransigence". The water and irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia commenced the Khartoum-brokered virtual talks on June 9 in the presence of international observers, including the United States, the European Union, South Africa and the African Union. Saturday was scheduled to be the final day of negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohammad Al-Sebai said in a press statement that Egypt had shown much flexibility during the talks by accepting a "consensual pair" worked out by Sudan, which could serve as a basis for talks between the three countries. He added that Egypt and Sudan had rejected a "worrying" Ethiopian suggestion on the filling and operating of the am, reflecting Addis Ababa's lack of the political will to reach a fair agreement on the project. Labeling the Ethiopian vision as "technically and legally flawed', he regretted the Ethiopia seeks to have the upper hand over the water resources of the River Nile regardless of the downstream countries. He added that Addis Ababa hoped that Cairo and Khartoum would sign a non-binding paper that obliges them to give up their water rights, but give Ethiopia absolute power to change dam filling rules unilaterally. The Egyptian spokesman blasted Ethiopia's position as "so unfortunate and unacceptable" that does not reflect the spirit of cooperation and good neighborliness among African counties, particularly the ones which share water resources. — KUNA
