CAIRO — Ethiopia did not attend the Feb. 27–28 round of US-mediated talks in Washington intended to produce a final agreement with Egypt and Sudan on the controversial, $4.8 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). 

In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, officials said they needed more time to consider their position on the agreement, which was the product of meetings attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Sudan and by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. 

“Consistent with the ... [2015 Declaration of Principles], and in particular the principles of not causing significant harm to downstream countries, final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement," the Treasury Department said in a Feb. 28 statement. "We also note the concern of downstream populations in Sudan and Egypt due to unfinished work on the safe operation of the GERD, and the need to implement all necessary dam safety measures in accordance with international standards before filling begins.” 

The Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy had announced Feb. 26 on Twitter that it had informed the US Treasury that it would not be able to participate in tripartite discussions until it concluded talks with local authorities about the agreement.