The Egyptian government has begun to take serious, overt measures toward internationalizing the Renaissance Dam. It is doing so through protracted negotiations taking place behind closed doors among the Supreme Committee for the Nile Waters, which includes representatives from all parties affected by issues of concern to the Nile River Basin. It is composed of staff from the Foreign Ministry as well as the Ministries of Water Resources and Irrigation, International Assistance, Defense and Electricity, and the Egyptian intelligence services.

On Jan. 20, Al-Monitor became the first to publish a report concerning this step, revealing Egypt's intention to internationalize its case against Ethiopia concerning the Renaissance Dam. At the time, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdul Muttalib released a statement denying Al-Monitor's reporting. 

This comes at a time when, according to polls, the proportion of Egyptian public opinion that favors escalating the issue has risen to 87%. This is the percentage of people who answered "yes" when asked, "Do you support internationalizing the issue of the Renaissance Dam, following Ethiopia's rejection of initiatives to solve the crisis?" The poll was carried out by one of the most widely read news websites in Egypt.

These Egyptian moves toward international escalation are proceeding on two levels, in keeping with an agreement concluded by the Supreme Committee for the Nile Waters, according to a government source who spoke to Al-Monitor. The source stressed that, in fact, first-level steps began with the visit of Muttalib, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy, to Italy, which is believed to be Ethiopia's principal technical supporter in building the dam. The Italian contracting company Salini Corporation has already conducted several studies and begun construction at the dam site.