Ethiopia asks U.S. to postpone final talks on Blue Nile dam

Ethiopia has asked the United States to postpone what was expected to be the final round of talks on the giant Blue Nile hydropower dam, it said on Wednesday, delaying the potential resolution of a dispute that sparked a years-long diplomatic crisis. "We have asked that we need more time for consultation," Bizuneh Tolcha, spokesman for Ethiopia's ministry of water, irrigation, and energy told Reuters, without providing details.

The final round of talks was scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Washington. The U.S. has hosted several rounds of talks in Washington with ministers from the three regional powers and the World Bank after years of trilateral negotiations failed. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan said on Jan.31 they would sign an agreement by the end of this month to end their differences over the filling and operation of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Ethiopia is building the dam near its border with Sudan on the Blue Nile, which flows into the Nile river - the main water source for Egypt's 100 million-strong population. The dam is the centerpiece in Ethiopia's bid to become Africa's biggest power exporter. There was no immediate comment from Egypt and Sudan.

After last month's talks, the nations said they had agreed on a schedule for staged filling of the dam and mitigation mechanisms to adjust its filling and operation during dry periods and drought. But the nations still have to finalize details on several aspects of the dam, including its safety and provisions for the resolution of disputes, the statement said.