Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has stressed the importance of maintaining Sudan’s share in the Nile River for the sake of all future generations.
He praised the great efforts made by the country's negotiating team in reaching a draft agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Washington.
During his meeting with Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdalla and Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas, the PM reviewed the draft on the filling and operation of the Dam that was agreed on by the Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.
On April 9, a high-ranking Egyptian delegation that included Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aati visited Khartoum.
Hamdok discussed with the visiting delegation the latest developments in the negotiations on GERD, the situation in the region and bilateral cooperation in various fields.
The Sudanese PM is expected to visit Cairo and Addis Ababa to revive the stalled negotiations to continue dialogue on the remaining outstanding issues.
He agreed with US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin to proceed with talks after the coronavirus pandemic is contained.
Meanwhile, Egypt looks forward for a firmer stance from Sudan against the “Ethiopian intransigence”, especially that the tripartite negotiations on the rules for filling and operating the dam have stopped.
Ethiopia has also announced that filling the dam would begin in July, while the completion of the entire project is scheduled for 2023, without reaching an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
The two Arab countries have been keen on clarifying their positions to avoid any misunderstanding, a source from the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He said the two countries have affirmed their adherence to the Washington agreement, yet Egypt hopes Sudan would convince Ethiopia to agree on the draft and not take any unilateral measures that would harm Egypt’s share of Nile waters.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan had expected to sign the agreement in Washington in February, but Ethiopia skipped the meeting.
The US Treasury has been sponsoring the talks since November, with the participation of the World Bank.
