The Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy Seleshi Bekele announced Wednesday that construction work on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is now at a critical stage, having reached 79 percent completion. Earlier, Ethiopia had renewed its rejection of the Egyptian-Sudanese proposal regarding the participation of an international quartet to meditate the contentious GERD talks. He noted to his country’s readiness to resume negotiations at any time, adding that the parties must respect the African Union and its role in mediation. “We have good relations with the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the United States, but our principle remains that the African Union plays its role,” Mufti added. The Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, submitted official requests to both Washington and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union to mediate and help resolve the issue.

Source: Egypt Independent March 17, 2021 11:37 UTC