Egypt says no progress in talks over Ethiopia’s Nile dam

CAIRO – Egypt says a new round of talks over a soon-to-be-finished Nile River dam being built by Ethiopia have failed to achieve progress.

Monday’s statement by the Egyptian Irrigation Ministry says the two-day talks with Ethiopia and Sudan did not touch on “technical aspects” of the $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. It says Ethiopia’s delegation refused to discuss an Egyptian proposal on filling and operating what will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam.

The statement urges Ethiopia to engage in “serious technical negotiations” at Sept. 30-Oct. 1 talks in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.

Egypt fears the dam could reduce its share of the Nile River, which serves as a lifeline for the country’s 100 million people. Ethiopia has roughly the same population and says the dam will help its economic development.