Saudi Arabia welcomes resumption of talks over Nile dam

Kingdom says any agreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia should be fair and not compromise the water security of the countries involved

A view of the Blue Nile as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. AFP

Saudi Arabia welcomed an agreement to resume talks to resolve the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, saying it should preserve the "water security" of the Arab countries involved.

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed at an African Union summit on Friday to return to talks over the filling of the $4.6-billion (Dh16.89bn) dam, known as Gerd.

The Saudi Cabinet said after a meeting chaired by King Salman on Tuesday that the resumption of the talks should lead to a "just agreement that takes the interest of all parties into consideration".

The kingdom rejects any unilateral “action that compromises that rights of the other parties in the water of the Nile”, the Cabinet said.

"The water security of Egypt and Sudan is inseparable from Arab security".

Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shukri said this week that the new hydroelectric dam risks the lives of 150 million Egyptians and Sudanese.

The minister urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on efforts to resolve a dispute over the filling of its reservoir.