CAIRO, 26 February, 2021 (TON): Egypt welcomed and supported the Sudanese stalled proposal to form an international quartet committee to arbitrate negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) made at a meeting of interested parties with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) African Union (AU) presidency coordinator, Alphonse Ntumba, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry announced.

The official expressed support towards the proposed committee, which would be convened under the auspices of Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the DRC.

Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said that during the meeting, Shoukry expressed his appreciation for the DRC’s endeavors during its presidency of the AU and that he looked forward to the key role Kinshasa can play to help reach a legally binding agreement on the rules of filling and operating the GERD, taking into account the interests of the three countries.

Hafez added that Cairo had confirmed to the Congolese delegation that the proposed committee should include representatives from the U.S. EU and the UN.

It is hoped that the move would push negotiations forward and assist Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa in reaching an agreement as soon as possible over Ethiopia’s filling of the GERD’s lake.