Egypt, Ethiopia deadlocked on dam studies

Egypt and Ethiopia have reached a deadlock in further studies on the effects of the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) on downstream countries, Egyptian Al Ahram newspaper reports. This information was conveyed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday after the latter phoned Shoukry, to ask about progress, according to a foreign office press statement. During the telephonic conversation the Egyptian foreign minister outlined the “strained technical path related to preparing studies on the effect of the dam on downstream countries, as well as ways to avoid them” and outlined Cairo’s dependence on the Nile as its sole source of water.