CAIRO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held a phone conversation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday, discussing the controversial Ethiopian grand dam built on the Nile River and the recent developments in Libya.

During the call, the two presidents exchanged views over the current situation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the relevant negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating Ethiopia's grand hydropower dam have been fruitless, including those hosted by the United States, amid Egyptian concerns that the GERD construction would affect Egypt's annual share of Nile water.

On Friday, Egypt called on Ethiopia not to take any "unilateral action" with regards to the filling of the disputed dam until a tripartite agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan is reached.

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia resumed technical talks on Tuesday for the first time since February, when negotiations mediated by the United States and the World Bank came to a halt after Ethiopia pulled out.

On the meeting, Egypt and Sudan have expressed concerns about a new Ethiopian proposal on GERD's filling and operation.

Meanwhile, the two leaders also discussed the current developments in Libya and the joint African efforts to settle the conflict within the framework of the Cairo Declaration initiative recently proposed under Egypt's auspices, the spokesman said.

The South African president praised the Egyptian efforts to solve the conflict in Libya, welcoming the Cairo Declaration initiative.

He noted that the initiative is consistent with the efforts of the African Union to settle the Libyan crisis and put an end to the negative repercussions of the conflict that endanger the stability and security of the neighboring countries and the African continent as a whole.

For his part, Sisi highlighted that Egypt aims to reach a comprehensive political settlement that achieves security and stability in Libya, and put an end to violence and terrorism, with the return of state institutions and preserving the resources of the Libya people, Rady said.

On June 6, Sisi announced the initiative to end the Libyan internal conflict following his meeting in Cairo with Libyan eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar and Tobruk-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

The Cairo Declaration proposes a cease-fire between Libyan warring parties, disbanding militias and handing over their arms, pulling out foreign forces, electing a ruling presidential council representing all Libyans and drafting a constitutional declaration to regulate elections for later stages. Enditem

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