ISTANBUL

Egypt's irrigation minister said on Monday his country will not accept Ethiopia's unilateral steps regarding its dam on the Nile River, according to the state-run daily.

The Egyptian state-run Al-Ahram daily cited a statement by Mohamed Abdel-Ati on the occasion of World Water Day as saying that Egypt will not accept the adverse consequences of the filling and operating of Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam.

"The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and its effect on the Nile River water is one of the main challenges that Egypt faces in the current time, especially with Ethiopia's unilateral steps," the Egyptian minister said.

A few days ago, Ethiopia rejected calls by Sudan for having outside mediators, including the US, the EU, and the African Union, in the ongoing dispute over the filling and operating of the massive hydroelectric Renaissance Dam on the Nile River.

On Wednesday, Mohamed Idris, Egypt's permanent representative to the UN, led efforts to draft a statement outlining a clear international vision for water issues which gained the support of 155 UN-member states.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara.