Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas said that the potential positive effects of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on his country could turn into risks without an agreement on first filling and operation.
The Minister acknowledged - upon submitting yesterday a briefing to the representatives of the Central Council for Freedom and Change Forces, the political incubator of the transitional government - that there is a possibility of damages related to the insecure operation of the Sudanese tanks, in case of lack of coordination and exchange of data with the Ethiopian side.
He considered that the Renaissance Dam could be a gesture of regional cooperation between the three countries represented in providing energy from Ethiopia, food from Sudan by using its agricultural lands, capital and industrial investment from Egypt, while creating a common market that strengthens this integration.
The Sudanese official reaffirmed his country’s importance of reaching a legally binding agreement on the issue of filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, without mentioning the distribution of the Blue Nile water shares.
Return to negotiations
The Sudanese minister said that his country had received an invitation from Ethiopia to resume negotiations related to the Renaissance Dam between the three countries, but pointed out that the return to negotiations requires political will to resolve the outstanding contentious issues.
He added that Sudan is studying the submission of a letter to the UN Security Council to clarify its position, similar to Egypt and Ethiopia, and to submit proposals to find fair and balanced solutions that satisfy the three parties and serve as a basis for their agreement.