Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the operation and filling of the under-construction Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam began via video conference on Friday afternoon, the Sudanese government said in a statement. The talks are being held under the auspices of the African Union, which is currently headed by South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current AU chairman, said that he hoped this round of talks will reach an acceptable solution that will safeguard the interests of the three countries. The previous round of negotiations between the three countries, held from 9-17 June, failed to produce an accord due to Ethiopia's refusal to enter into a legally binding agreement and its announcement that it will begin filling the dam in July even without approval from the two downstream countries. The leaders of the three countries, along with Ramaphosa, held an online mini-summit on last Friday. At the summit, Ethiopia agreed to delay the filling of the hydropower dam until a final binding deal is reached. The summit also agreed to form a committee of legal and technical experts to draft a final deal. The technical committee will try to strike a deal within two weeks, as suggested by Ethiopia, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said following the summit.
