Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held a telephone conversation with head of Sudan's Sovereign Council Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan mainly on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The phone call came as Egypt’s Water Resource and Irrigation Ministry denied on Friday reports that Cairo had accepted to make concessions on the dam during talks held in Washington this week.
Following lengthy talks in Washington, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan said they reached a preliminary agreement aimed at clearing the way for the filling and operation of Ethiopia’s $5 billion dam project on the Nile River.
On Thursday, some news websites said that Egypt accepted certain conditions in order to finalize this deal.
However, the Egyptian Water Ministry denied the reports and said the three concerned countries agreed to discuss the mechanism for settling disputes that may arise from developing the rules and guidelines that would mitigate drought conditions based on the natural flow of the Nile and water release rates from the dam’s reservoir.
The foreign and irrigation ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are expected to reconvene in Washington on January 28 and 29 where they plan to finalize an agreement.
Egyptian sources said Cairo is hinging on the upcoming meeting to achieve consensus on all issues relating to filling and operating the dam, and to reach a comprehensive agreement with the two other countries.
Ethiopia started building the dam in 2011 on the Blue Nile to generate electricity.
Egypt fears that the dam would cause harm to its water share in the Nile.
Meanwhile, Sisi told Burhan Thursday that he is following up on all developments in Sudan, and he affirmed Egypt’s firm stance to support the security and stability of the Sudanese state.
Sisi also highlighted the historic ties that bring together the peoples of Egypt and Sudan.
For his part, Burhan praised the rapprochement between Egypt and Sudan, and the existing efforts to improve the bonds of joint cooperation between the two countries. He lauded the unlimited Egyptian support for preserving the safety and stability of Sudan.
The two leaders also agreed on the need to continue intense consultations and joint coordination on GERD.
