KHARTOUM, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Sunday said it would not relinquish its share in the Nile water according to the 1959 deal, reiterating its adherence to the declaration of principles on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
"There is no way for relinquishing Sudan's share in the Nile water as approved in the 1959 agreement," said Mutaz Mussa, Sudan's water resources and electricity minister.
He reiterated Sudan's commitment to the professional and scientific approach to resolving all differences in views and positions related to the GERD.
Regarding the difference over a report made by a French consultative firm on the GERD, Mussa said that "the talks on the GERD are waiting for the Egyptian side, which asked for a time to consult with its country's leadership after reservation on many issues."
"Sudan and Ethiopia expressed reservation over some essential points in the initial study on the GERD's economic, social and environmental impact. At the top of these points was the nature of the baseline data from which any studies relating to the operation of the dam start, a point over which the Egyptian side expressed reservation," noted the Sudanese minister.
He said that Sudan and Ethiopia had offered constructive and objective proposals and suggested demanding the consultative firm to provide explanations to boost the negotiations, but the Egyptian side told the meeting that it needed to consult with its country's leadership.
A round of negotiations between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia concluded in the Egyptian capital Cairo last week, without reaching an agreement on a report prepared by a French consultative firm on the GERD.
The report was prepared by the French firms BRL and Artelia which were mandated by the three countries to carry out the study on the GERD's impacts.
Egypt fears that the construction of the dam would affect its share in the Nile water, while Ethiopia reiterated that the dam is likely to make a shift in its wealth, namely in the field of electricity.
The GERD, extending on an area of 1,800 square km, is scheduled to be completed in three years at a cost of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars.
