Negotiations on Filling and Operation of Renaissance Dam to be Resumed

Khartoum (SUNA) – Negotiations on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be resumed on Sunday 1st November between the Ministers of Water Affairs of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia, as agreed upon in the joint meeting of the Foreign and Water Ministers in their meeting last Tuesday, October 27th, which was chaired by Ms. Jay Bandura, the Minister of International Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, the chair of the current session of the African Union.

The three countries agreed to hold a follow-up meeting to be called by Sudan as soon as possible to submit a report to the presidency of the African Union within one week on ways to achieve tangible progress in the stalled negotiations since the end of last August.

The three countries will work during the one-week session on setting a clear-cut and detailed agenda and a specific timetable for the track of negotiation, besides a clear list of the outputs that must be reached in a way that can be used by observers and experts in a manner that is different from the situation in the pasts sessions.

Meanwhile, the head of Sudan delegation for the negotiations, Dr. Salih Hamad, pointed out that Sudan has expressed its refuse at the previous meeting to continuing the negotiations in the same method that led to a deadlock in the past rounds.

 He added that Sudan has presented several proposals to give a greater role for experts and observers in the negotiation process to bring closer the views of the three countries.