Egypt accuses Ethiopia of 'buying time' to fill Nile dam

Egypt says Ethiopia is deliberately delaying talks on the Nile dispute to "buy time" and thereby continue filling its giant dam being built on the river Nile.

"It is regrettable that Ethiopian officials continue to express their willingness and desire to resume negotiations under the auspices of the African Union (AU) in a new attempt to buy time and continue filling the dam without an agreement," Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister for African  Affairs Hamdy Loza said on Wednesday.

Cairo's latest accusation came hours after Addis Ababa announced that it will fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) without seeking anyone's permission.

"Ethiopia has no obligation to request permission from anyone to fill the dam," the spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Meles Alem told journalists in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Ethiopia is preparing to fill the massive dam for the fourth time disregarding Egyptian repeated warnings.

"Ethiopia's remarks to proceed filling the dam regardless of the downstream countries' rights are another evidence of unilateralism that goes beyond the scope of negotiation," Mr Loza said.

The Egyptian official further condemned statements by Ethiopia that had accused Cairo of "politicising" the Nile dam dispute.

Loza said Addis Ababa's continued claim of Egyptian "politicisation" of the GERD issue is an attempt to "evade legal responsibility and reflects [Ethiopia's] indifference to the principles of the international law and good neighbourliness."

The fresh row between Ethiopia and Egypt has repeatedly received mixed reactions in Egyptian local media.

Prominent pro-state host Ahmed Moussa said Addis Ababa intentionally built the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to "harm" Egypt and Sudan.

Opposition TV host Muhammad Nasser blamed the Egyptian government and media for not taking a stronger stance against the issue.

Egypt fears that the multi-billion-dollar Ethiopian dam, which would be Africa's largest, would eventually diminish its historic water supply from the Nile, but Ethiopia is pushing for its own water security.

Addis Ababa, argues that the dam will not have a significant impact on the natural water flow into the downstream countries.

Last month, Addis Ababa announced that 90% of GERD's construction work had been completed.

Cairo said that "all options are on the table" to deal with any threats to its water supply posed by the Ethiopian mega-dam.

The dam,  which is being built near the Sudanese border is solely financed by Ethiopians and is a crucial project for the country's development, as it will provide clean, renewable energy and lift millions out of poverty.

About 65% of the estimated 122 million of Ethiopia's population lacks access to any form of electricity.

The much-needed electricity is hoped to facilitate economic growth for Ethiopia and the region.

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been engaged in negotiations for more than a decade to settle the dispute over Nile water resources but the parties could not reach a final deal.