Sudan, Egypt voice rejection to Nile dam approach

Khartoum, March 7 Sudan and Egypt have voiced rejection to a "fait accompli" approach to the issue of the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile river.

"The two countries reiterate rejection of any approach seeking a fait accompli on and control of the Blue Nile through unilateral measures that do not observe the rights and interests of the two downstream countries," said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday.

His remarks came following his talks with Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan here.

Egypt and Sudan also "stress the need to return to serious and effective negotiations to reach a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the GERD as soon as possible", he added.

Sisi and al-Burhan reviewed the possibility of relaunching negotiation through formation of an international quartet committee of the African Union, the US, European Union and the UN as the mediator.

Sisi arrived in Khartoum earlier on Saturday for a one-day visit to Sudan.

The Egyptian leader also met Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Deputy Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu.

Ethiopia started building the dam in 2011.

While Egypt is concerned that the dam might affect its share of the Nile waters, Sudan has also raised similar concerns over the dam.

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the Ethiopian dam have been fruitless, including those hosted by the US and recently by the African Union.

( With inputs from IANS )