Ethiopia says UN role in Nile dam row 'unhelpful'

Ethiopia has described as "unhelpful" the intervention of the United Nations in the long-running dispute over its controversial Nile River mega-dam.

The county's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that it was "regrettable to witness that the progress of negotiations has been dragged and politicised".

"Ethiopia has made its position clear time and time again that this is unproductive and bringing the subject matter to the United Nations Security Council was and is unhelpful and far from the mandate of the council," the statement added.

The huge dam known as the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (Gerd) has been a point of contention for a decade between Addis Ababa and downstream nations Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia said on Tuesday that the African Union-led process was important in addressing the concerns of the three concerns and that it was committed to seeing the process to a successful conclusion.

Ethiopia says the project is essential to its development and has started filling it. But the other two countries fear it could restrict their citizens' water access.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]