KHARTOUM, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir reaffirmed on Thursday that Egypt would get its full share in the Nile water according to the 1959 deal, saying it would not be harmed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Al-Bashir made the remarks at a joint press conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the conclusion of the latter's visit to the country.
"For us in Sudan, the agreements governing the Nile water is the 1959 agreement which divided the Nile water between Sudan and Egypt, and we are fully committed that Egypt's share will not be affected by the establishment of the GERD," said al-Bashir at the press conference.
The Ethiopian prime minister, for his part, denied the existence of any political differences between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over the GERD.
"In any agreement, in any engagement, there could be some differences in ideas which come through negotiations, so I think this is more of a technical issue. It is not political. If we do not politicize it, then we can reach a conclusion that is a win-win for all our peoples," said Desalegn.
Meanwhile, al-Bashir pointed out that there are no differences between Sudan and Ethiopia over border demarcation.
"There is no difference over the references of border demarcation. In fact, we have full agreement over border. What remains is only to put the border signs," he said.
Desalegn urged the South Sudanese leaders to implement the peace deal signed under the patronage of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) in August 2015.
"The problem is now there is foot dragging from the implementation of the already signed agreement. We are pushing the leaders of South Sudan to implement the already signed agreement," the prime minister said.
Desalegn began his three-day visit to Sudan on Tuesday.
