Egypt and Sudan expressed reservations on Friday over a document submitted by Ethiopia on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Cairo and Khartoum stressed the need for an “acceptable agreement” before Addis Ababa starts filling the Nile dam’s reservoir next July.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan resume on Saturday the second round of virtual talks on GERD in the presence of observers from the European Union, the US and South Africa.
Cairo is attached to the deal reached during talks held on February 21 in Washington, for being “an equitable and balanced agreement that enables Ethiopia to achieve its development goals while preserving the rights of Egypt and Sudan.”
It said the Ethiopian paper on filling and operating GERD was inconsistent with the principles and rules previously agreed upon by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in the negotiations brokered by the US and the World Bank.
In a statement issued Thursday, Cairo stressed the importance of Ethiopia to be negotiating with “good intentions” in order to sign a fair agreement that takes into account the interests of all three countries.
Sudan announced that the three parties started discussing GERD documents amid tension on several issues.
It said the three concerned states agreed to exchange views on controversial issues to bridge the gap in their viewpoints.
Sudanese Minister of Irrigation Yasser Abbas told a local television channel that his country believes in the rights of any state for development, but without harming others.
Ethiopia has already planned to start filling the reservoir of the dam in July.
