El Sisi’s remarks on the GERD talks yesterday came as Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia may have taken a step toward breaking a deadlock that had mired negotiations for several years now. The foreign ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan’s water resources minister signed a declaration in Addis Ababa on Wednesday that charts the next path for the negotiations. The three countries agreed to set up a joint scientific committee to consult on the filling of the dam. The committee will discuss and develop “various scenarios related to the filling and operation rules in accordance with the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of shared water resources while taking all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm,” according to a copy of the declarations posted by the Foreign Ministry. Egypt also agreed to Sudan and Ethiopia posing questions on the findings of the French consultancy, whose report over the impact of the dam on Egypt was rejected earlier this year by Sudan and Ethiopia. The leaders of the three countries commit to meeting every six months, with the next meeting taking place on 3 July.

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