Ethiopia Begins Filling Dam Ahead of UN Meeting, Egypt Says

CAIRO - Egypt said Monday that Ethiopia has reported it is starting to fill the reservoir of a controversial dam on the Nile River's main tributary, a move likely to increase tensions ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the dispute, which also includes Sudan. 

A statement by Egypt's Irrigation Ministry said Minister Mohammed Abdel-Aty received an official notice from his Ethiopian counterpart notifying Egypt of the reservoir filling for the second year.  The statement said Egypt categorically rejects such a "unilateral move," calling it a "clear and grave violation" of a 2015 agreement. It said the move is a threat to region's security and peace.  The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a Thursday meeting to discuss the decadelong dispute over the dam. There has been mounting tensions in recent months after the latest round of African Union-brokered negotiations in April failed to make progress.