Trump: Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan dam talks 'went well'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he held talks that "went well" with top representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan over the construction of a disputed dam that has sparked fears of a potential water war in the region.

Trump said the meeting was intended "to help solve their long running dispute on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, one of the largest in the world, currently being built."

"The meeting went well and discussions will continue during the day!" Trump added in a Twitter post he accompanied with a photo of himself seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, flanked on either side by the officials.

The meeting was not previously included in a copy of the president's daily schedule sent to reporters.

The ongoing construction of the dam on the Blue Nile, a Nile River tributary, has been a sticking point between the east African neighbors. Ethiopia hails it as a critical step in its economic development, but Egypt fears the dam will reduce its traditional share of Nile waters.

The Blue Nile is one of two main tributaries feeding the Nile River.

Sudan, a downstream country, has participated in several rounds of technical negotiations that failed to break the deadlock over Ethiopia's $4 billion project.