Egypt appealed on Friday for the United Nations Security Council to intervene in a deepening dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that Cairo fears would cut its vital water share.
The move comes as tensions run high after multiple rounds of talks over the years between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan failed to produce a deal over the filling and operation of the dam on the Blue Nile.
Addis Ababa has declared plans to start filling the dam next month, regardless of whether a deal was reached.
Egypt has called on the UN Security Council "to intervene to emphasize the importance that three countries ... continue negotiations in good faith," the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.
It said the three-way talks have hit an impasse due to Ethiopia's "non-positive stances" and its "insistence to proceed with filling the dam unilaterally."
Egypt views the hydro-electric barrage as an existential threat that could severely reduce its water supply.
Ethiopia says the dam is indispensable for its development and insists Egypt's water share will not be affected.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew on Friday reiterated that his country will go ahead and start filling the $4.6 billion dam next month, even without an agreement.
“For us it is not mandatory to reach an agreement before starting filling the dam, hence we will commence the filling process in the coming rainy season," he said.
“We are working hard to reach a deal, but still we will go ahead with our schedule whatever the outcome is. If we have to wait for others’ blessing, then the dam may remain idle for years, which we won’t allow to happen," he said.
He added that "we want to make it clear that Ethiopia will not beg Egypt and Sudan to use its own water resource for its development,” pointing out that Ethiopia is paying for the dam’s construction itself.
The Nile, which provides nearly 97 percent of Egypt's freshwater needs, is a lifeline supplying both water and electricity to the 10 countries it traverses.
Ethiopia broke ground on the dam in 2011. When completed, it is set to be Africa's largest hydroelectric project.
