Addis Abeba — The 15 member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are set to take a vote this afternoon on whether to hold an open virtual meeting on matters concerning the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Addis Standard has learnt.
However, it's unlikely that member states reach at a consensus since elected members South Africa and Niger from Africa as well as St. Vincent and Grenadines of Southern Caribbean nation have opposed the idea of a meeting, which leaves the Council divided.
A foreign diplomat who is observing the matter and who spoke to Addis Standard expressed his concerns at Washington's insistence - by siding with Egypt - to force the Council into what amounts to a "procedural vote," which he said in the COVID-19 era was "unprecedented."
The UN Security Council hasn't taken any 'procedural vote', a rare mechanism through which the Council resolves differences, to break a deadlock among its 15 members since at least mid-March 2020.
The UNSC member states agreed to do away with 'procedural vote' since they no longer meet in the Chamber because of COVID-19 restrictions.
