The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is convening in New York on Thursday to discuss the latest developments on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at the request of Egypt and Sudan. The session follows the failure of talks between the two downstream countries and Ethiopia. Negotiations were meant to culminate in a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam.
The UNSC meeting comes three days after Ethiopia had announced it started the second filling of the dam in a unilateral action, a move against which consequences Egypt and Sudan had been warning for months. The two downstream countries have repeatedly voiced their categorical rejection of the filling.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Sudanese counterpart Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdy are attending the New York session after having spent the past four days in meetings with UN officials and representatives of permanent and non-permanent state members in the council to explain the dam crisis.
Ahram Online is covering the session live. Reload the page frequently to get the latest updates.
2:00pm The United Nation Security Council (UNSC) has started a closed-door consultation session at the expert level on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam's (GERD) dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, only a few hours before the UN body members convene to discuss the issue later on the day, sources in New York told Ahram Online. Ahead of the consultations session, which is set to last till 7pm Cairo local time, the member state of the UN body had submitted their notes concerning the Egyptian-Sudanese GERD-focused draft resolution that was submitted by Tunisia to the international body on Friday. An amended draft resolution will be prepared by the end of the experts' consultations to be distributed on Thursday night prior to the UNSC session, which is slated for 9pm Cairo local time or on Friday morning at most, the sources added. Another consultation session, the sources noted, is set to be held on Monday on the final draft resolution before it is put to vote between 14-16 July. The sources added that the voting will take place at the request of the concerned parties after setting the date of the session in accordance with the rules followed by the UN Security Council. Putting off the votes nearly a week after the UNSC session will give Egypt and Sudan a chance to further explain the situation and secure the needed votes of the international body's member states to pass the draft resolution, sources told Ahram online on Wednesday. Read more
