Khartoum, Feb 18 (IANS): Sudan has stressed the need to reach a legal and binding solution to the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River, a long dispute between the two neighbouring countries.

Sudan's acting Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq and acting Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Daw Al-Bait Abdul-Rahman met and reviewed developments of the GERD issue, and reassured Sudan's supportive stance to negotiation as an option for the solution, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The meeting stressed the need to reach a legal and binding solution under the patronage of the African Union (AU) in a manner that preserves Sudan's interests and its water rights, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The acting Foreign Minister renewed support for Sudan's negotiating team and its active participation in the GERD issue.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been negotiating under the African Union over technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

Sudan proposed a mediation quartet of the UN, the European Union, the US and the African Union regarding the GERD issue, while Ethiopia rejected the proposal.

Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the project, while Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for its fresh water, are concerned that the dam might affect their water resources.