Addis Ababa, 11 May 2015 (WIC) – Sudan on Saturday reiterated Ethiopia’s absolute right in using its water resources in reference to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
“The Ethiopian government has the absolute right to use its water resources, with taking into account that no harm would be caused to the concerned parties,” Mutaz Mussa, Sudan’s water resources and electricity minister, told reporters in Khartoum Saturday after meeting a visiting Ethiopian parliamentary delegation.
The minister said the GERD project constitutes an important step to enhance the joint cooperation between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and achieve the upper interest of the three countries.
In March, the leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia signed an initial cooperation deal on sharing the Nile River and the construction of the GERD.
The GERD worries Egypt which fears that the construction of the dam would affect its share in the Nile water, which amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meter, while Ethiopia reiterates that the dam is likely to make a shift in its wealth, namely in the field of electricity.
The GERD, extending on an area of 1,800 square kilometers, is scheduled to be completed in three years at a cost of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars. (Xinua)