CAIRO — Several countries are seeking a mediation role in the faltering negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to assume in February the chairmanship of the African Union, with Congo President Felix Tshisekedi succeeding his South African counterpart. Among the chairmanship's duties is sponsorship of the ongoing dam negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.
On Jan. 21, the ambassadors of the United States and Italy to Sudan praised Khartoum’s position in the talks on the dam. During their meeting with Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas, the two ambassadors stressed the need to establish an exchange data mechanism to ensure Khartoum's right to secure its dams, water facilities and the safety of its citizens during the operation of the Renaissance dam.
Meanwhile, the British ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, stressed during his meeting with Abbas on Jan. 18 his country’s support for reaching an agreement on the dam that is satisfactory to all concerned parties, namely Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
The Sudan News Agency reported Jan. 13 that the United Arab Emirates is seeking to converge the views of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia with the aim of breaking the deadlock in the dam negotiations, following a one-day visit by a delegation from the UAE Foreign Ministry to Sudan.
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