CAIRO — Recent talks between Egypt and Ethiopia ended with no progress — as have many meetings before — on their controversial dam project with Sudan. The repeated failures have left at least some officials wondering if there's hope for the future.

Before the Jan. 17-19 meetings in Cairo officially began, the atmosphere was positive. Several memorandums of understanding were signed during the visit to promote cooperation in industry, diplomacy and politics. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn suggested the presidents of all three countries involved in the dam project should also hold a summit at the end of January on the sidelines of the African Union summit Jan. 28-29. Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry offered encouraging words about negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, saying, “Egypt has the political desire to overcome all obstacles that might hamper the development of bilateral relations."

But that was before Desalegn decided, a few days after returning home, to reject Egypt's proposal to bring the World Bank into long-stalled negotiations as a technical mediator. Upon hearing of the rebuff, Shoukry's spokesman said on TV, “Ethiopia’s refusal of the Egyptian proposition … raises questions about the [potential for] success of a tripartite summit" with Sudan.

Cairo believes the Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River could threaten Egypt's water supply and harm the environment.