Trilateral talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt stalled in February
Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive response to a complaint by Egypt about the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a top government official said.
Seleshi Bekele, the minister of water, irrigation and energy, briefed senior officialdom on Monday about recent developments surrounding the dam, the state-run Ethiopian press agency reported.
Egypt submitted the complaint to the UN Security Council last week as a part of a huge international campaign to prevent Ethiopia from filling the $5-billion hydro dam on the Nile.
Egypt claims the dam would scale back the flow of Nile waters downstream while Ethiopia maintains it needs the dam for national development also as regional electricity interconnection.
Ethiopia started this mega dam project realizing that meeting electricity infrastructure is critical to the sustainable development of a rustic , Seleshi said.
The minister acknowledged that filling of the dam are going to be managed without causing significant harm to the downstream countries; and Ethiopia respects the fair and rational water management guideline.
According to Seleshi, Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive document that gives sufficient response for the complaint Egypt has submitted to the UN.
The downstream riparian countries are given sufficient briefings and explanations beginning from the beginning of the development of the dam, he said, adding that "the questions raised not only contradict the rights of the country to development but also lack scientific basis."
Even if Ethiopia has been conducting discussions with experts, ministers, and even leaders of the downstream countries since 2012, the negotiations haven't resulted in agreement.
Latest US sponsored talks broke down in February after Ethiopia said the US sided with Egypt.
Currently, the civil work of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has reached 87% and therefore the total construction 73%.
Ethiopia launched the development of the dam in 2011.
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