国际英语新闻:Ethiopia rejects presence of more party in Ethiopian dam talks

KHARTOUM, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Saturday rejected presence of another party in the negotiations between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The remarks were made by Ethiopia's Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity Seleshi Bekele at a press conference in the capital Khartoum.

Bekele said Ethiopia reiterates the importance of looking to the positive sides of the GERD for the three countries, stressing that Ethiopia's goal behind building the GERD is to produce electricity to achieve development and combat poverty.

The Ethiopian minister further voiced his country's rejection to a proposal stipulating that Ethiopia guarantees flow of 40 billion cubic meters of water annually, explaining that the matter is technically unlikely as the annual production on the Blue Nile is less than that quantity.

Irrigation ministers of Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia on Saturday concluded a two-day meeting in Khartoum over the GERD.

Egypt fears that the construction of the GERD would affect its share in the Nile water, while Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly vowed that the dam will not harm Egypt.

The GERD, extending on an area of 1,800 square km, is scheduled to be completed in three years at a cost of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars.