Egypt released a statement Thursday toning down years of rhetoric and suggesting a conciliatory approach ahead of a final accord. Cairo intends "to continue its efforts towards concluding a balanced and just final agreement... which secures the three countries' common interests," the foreign ministry said in Cairo. EXISTENTIAL THREATEgypt depends on the Nile for 90 percent of its water supply and sees the dam as an existential threat. After three days of talks in the US capital, the countries' foreign ministers "noted the progress achieved," in a joint statement released Wednesday. A final agreement is now expected on January 29, overseen by the US Treasury Department and the World Bank.

Source: Daily Nation January 17, 2020 14:48 UTC