Egypt's president says keen to reach full agreement on Nile dam

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday that his country is keen to achieve progress in controversial issues that are essential to reach a balanced agreement on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Sisi's remarks came during a mini-African summit aimed at reaching a deal regarding filling and operation of the dam, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The summit was convened on Tuesday through video link with participation of Sisi, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country chairs the current session of the African Union.

During the summit, Sisi stressed that reaching a comprehensive deal on the dam requires a political will to enhance the opportunities and efforts to reach the desired agreement that achieves the common interests of the three countries.

At the end of the summit, it was agreed to continue negotiations and focus for the time being on giving priority to developing a binding legal agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam, the statement said.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have recently ended a round of talks on the GERD without reaching an agreement on the filling of the dam.