Egypt bets on US to restart talks on Nile dam dispute
Egypt hopes that the momentum from the COP27 summit will help to resume the stalled negotiations on the controversial dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile.
CAIRO -- Ethiopia took advantage of its participation in the UN climate summit COP27 in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh to highlight the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a key to regional cooperation in renewable energy.
Following the summit, Egypt hopes to resume the stalled negotiations with Sudan and Ethiopia to reach a binding legal agreement on the GERD, which Ethiopia is building on Egypt’s main water lifeline, the Nile River. Cairo fears the GERD will affect its share of the river’s water.
In a Nov. 17 interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Monica P. Medina, the US special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, spoke about the US's role in resolving the water conflict.
“The US administration has appointed a special envoy for the Horn of Africa [Mike Hammer], and he is working hard to find a solution," she said.
