Arab FMs support Egypt's position on Ethiopian Nile dam issue

Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-24 04:05:09|Editor: huaxia

CAIRO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- An Arab League (AL) virtual meeting at the level of foreign ministers voiced on Tuesday support for Egypt's position regarding Ethiopia's hydropower dam being built on the Nile River, the Cairo-based pan-Arab organization said in a statement.

In an AL resolution issued following the video conference extraordinary meeting, the Arab foreign ministers agreed that "the water security of Egypt and Sudan is an integral part of the Arab national security."

They also voiced rejection of "any action or measure that would affect the rights of all parties in the Nile River water."

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have been fruitless, including those hosted by Washington, amid Egyptian concerns that the GERD construction would affect Egypt's annual share of Nile water.

Ethiopia has recently said that it would soon start filling the reservoir, while Egypt has repeatedly warned against any unilateral action without a prior tripartite agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

The AL resolution issued Tuesday urged the three countries to return to negotiations "in good faith to reach a fair agreement that considers the interests of all parties," warning against any unilateral measures regarding the GERD.

The 4-billion-dollar dam is expected to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity and become Africa's largest hydropower dam upon completion.

Filling the reservoir, whose total capacity is 74 billion cubic meters, may take several years.

Concerned about its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the river water, Egypt seeks to prolong the period of filling the GERD to avoid the possible impacts of water shortage, which is a main point of their talks. Enditem

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