Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia agree to more Nile dam talks

Khartoum: Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia agreed Sunday to hold further talks this month to resolve their long-running dispute over the latter´s huge dam on the Blue Nile, Sudan´s water ministry said.

Previous three-way talks have failed to produce an agreement on the filling and operation of the vast reservoir behind the 145-metre (475-foot) tall Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a hydropower project which broke ground in 2011.

On Sunday, the three countries held a new round of talks by video conference in the virtual presence of South African officials, as well as other international observers. South Africa currently holds the African Union´s rotating chair.

"The meeting concluded ... that this week will be devoted to bilateral talks between the three countries, the experts, and the observers," Sudan´s water ministry said in a statement. This week´s talks will pave the way "for the resumption of tripartite negotiations on Sunday January 10 in the hope of concluding by the end of January," it noted.