United Nations, Sep 16 (IANS): The UN Security Council has encouraged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to resume negotiations on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River.

In a presidential statement, the Council encouraged the three stakeholders to resume talks at the invitation of the chairperson of the African Union (AU) to finalize expeditiously the text of mutually acceptable and binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, "within a reasonable time frame", reports Xinhua news agency

The Security Council called on the three countries to take forward the AU-led negotiation process in a constructive and cooperative manner.

It also encouraged observers that have been invited to attend the AU-led negotiations and any other observers that the three countries may consensually decide to jointly invite, to continue supporting the negotiations with a view to facilitating the resolution of outstanding technical and legal issues.

It underscored that this statement does not set out any principles or precedent in any other transboundary water disputes.

Despite countless tripartite negotiations among experts, ministers and leaders of the three African countries, they are yet to reach a trilateral agreement regarding the project.

Ethiopia reiterates that the dam will power its development aspirations, and boost its aspirations to attain the middle-income status by 2025.

Meanwhile, Egypt and Sudan frequently express their concern that the dam would affect their share of the river waters.

Rising from Lake Tana some 570-km north of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the Blue Nile or Abay River is one of the two principal headwaters of the world's longest river.