Sudan hosts tripartite summit on Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam

Khartoum on Monday is to host a tripartite summit for presidents of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia to sign on a Declaration of Principles on the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Monday arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to take part in the summit.

The three countries reached an agreement of principles in March on sharing the Nile River water and the construction of the GERD which worries the two downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan).

In the meantime, the deal included governing principles and guarantees that preserve the interests of the three countries, particularly the interests of the two downstream countries.

The deal also constitutes a base for cooperation in the coming period, namely with regard to enhancing bilateral ties.

The deal mainly included principles on cooperation, building of mutual trust, exchanging of information and data, as well as development and economic integration.

The deal also stipulates that Ethiopia is to respect the results of the studies to be conduct on the GERD together with commitment of the three countries to reach agreement on the regulations on filling the dam and its annual operation in the light of the studies.

The deal further stipulates establishment of a permanent coordinating mechanism from the three countries to cooperate on the process of operating the dams in a manner that ensures non-harm to the interests of the downstream countries.

The GERD, extending on an area of 1,800 square km, is scheduled to be completed in a period of three years at a cost of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars. Endit