Leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia on Monday signed an initial cooperation deal on the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in a bid to solve a dispute on the regional water resources.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn inked the document in Khartoum, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Today we have made a significant step in signing the agreement on the declaration of principles on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," said Desalegn at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum.
"This declaration of principles is the foundation upon which we will base our future agreements," he noted.
He reiterated his country's commitment to the mutual benefits with Sudan and Egypt, vowing not to cause any harm to any party.
"Ethiopia is committed to a genuine cooperation among the three countries and their peoples. Being here to sign the declaration of principles confirm Ethiopia's readiness and commitment for mutual benefits and cooperation among the three countries," said Desalegn.
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"I want to assure the people of Egypt and the people of Sudan that this construction (of the GERD) will cause no significant harm to the peoples of our three countries, and specifically to the people of Egypt," he went on to say.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on his part, reiterated his country's keenness to continue negotiations to reach detailed agreements to complete the document of the declaration of principles on the GERD.
"We need to continue to reach a comprehensive agreement detailing what has been included in the declaration of principle," Bashir noted.
He expressed confidence that cooperation was the sole means to reach understandings among the peoples of the Nile Basin, saying "without cooperation, the opportunity for a decent life for the peoples of the Nile Basin countries will be missed".
Egyptian President Adel Fattah al-Sisi stressed that signing the document constituted a first step that needed detailed agreements, saying "we are looking forward to seeing this deal turning into tangible facts as soon as possible".
He reiterated the importance of political will to implement what was agreed upon, noting that "we can sign many agreements, but readiness for implementation remains the base in any agreement".
The three countries reached an agreement of principles in March on sharing the Nile river water and the construction of the GERD which worries the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.
The text of the document could not be obtained so far. However, according to media reports, the deal included governing principles and guarantees that preserve the interests of the three countries, particularly the interests of Egypt and Sudan.
The deal also constitutes a base for cooperation in the coming period, namely with regard to enhancing bilateral ties, building mutual trust, exchanging information, the development and economic integration.
The deal also stipulates that Ethiopia will respect the results of the studies to be conducted on the GERD together with the commitment of the three countries to reach agreement on the regulations on filling the dam and its annual operation in the light of the studies.
The deal further stipulates the permanent coordination among the three countries on the operations of the dam in a manner that ensures that interests of the downstream countries will not be harmed.
The GERD, extending on an area of 1,800 sq km, is scheduled to be completed in a period of three years at a cost of $4.7 billion.