Sisi re-assures after GERD summit: No country will be harmed

ADDIS ABABA - 29 January 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi re-assured that none of the Egyptians, Ethiopians or Sudanese people will be harmed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), after a tripartite summit on Monday with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

"Be absolutely re-assured," Sisi repeated addressing media personnel after the summit. He added that the leaders met and agreed that none of the three countries' interests will be negatively affected.

"Ethiopia's and Sudan's interest is Egypt's as well...we are speaking as one country not three states," Sisi stated.

When asked by one of the reporters if the dam's crisis is over, Sisi answered "there is no crisis."

He further addressed journalists telling them "it is now your role to maintain good relations between countries, and not send messages that would confuse the public or offend others."

Sisi also assured that there a high level committee with representatives of different sectors concerned with following up on the dam issue. When asked whether the Sudanese ambassador is expected to return to Cairo to resume his work, Sisi answered "it is a foregone conclusion." Earlier this month, Khartoum summoned its ambassador to Cairo over consultations without giving further details.

The summit, attended by Sisi, Sudanese President Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn, was held on the sidelines of the 30th summit of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa.

The talks are viewed as another bid by the three African leaders to resolve the stalled negotiations regarding the GERD. The two-day AU summit will end on Monday.

The summit follows years of negotiations, since May 2011, between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over GERD. Egypt has voiced its concerns regarding the dam’s capacity of water storage, fearing that it may negatively affect its share of Nile water.

However, Ethiopia has repeatedly denied any negative effect for the GERD on Egypt’s share of the Nile water, as stipulated in the statements made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn during his official visit to Cairo last week.

Egypt has previously approved the report prepared by PRL Consulting Company on the guidelines that should be followed during GERD construction period; however, Ethiopia and Sudan rejected the findings of the report, crippling the continuation of the necessary studies to establish the dam.