Trump calls Egypt president to support Nile dam talks

Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Monday said he was happy to have the United States lead mediation efforts to resolve a dam dispute with Ethiopia.

Sisi, who spoke with US president Donald Trump on Monday, posted a message on his official Facebook page, praised the latter for ‘efforts he exerts to have the tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia’.

‘‘I assert my full trust in this mediation that could realize a consensual resolution that considers the rights of all parts involved as per the principles of the International law and human Justice,’‘ read president Sisi’s official Facebook page.

Egypt’s foreign minister said last week the Trump administration had invited the three countries to a meeting in Washington on Nov. 6 to try to break the deadlock in the talks.

“President Trump expressed support for Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan’s ongoing negotiations to reach a collaborative agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

The statement did not mention any meeting in Washington.

Egypt fears the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) could restrict already scarce supplies of water from the Nile, on which it is almost entirely dependent. Ethiopia says the dam is crucial to its economic development.

Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed spoke to US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo last week, but the issue of the dam was not discussed.