Sudan announces readiness to open border with South Sudan - Press TV

Sudan says it is ready to withdraw its troops from the disputed border with South Sudan and open the boundary for trade.

“We strive and will continue to strive to improve ties with our neighbor South Sudan which has signed with us a peace agreement,” Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir told a group of people in Blue Nile State, which borders South Sudan, on Tuesday.

In September 2012, Khartoum and Juba signed an African Union-led deal in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to end a border conflict, but they failed to implement the pivotal agreement.

The agreement advocates a jointly-monitored demilitarized buffer zone and a resumption of South Sudanese oil exports through northern pipelines.

Bashir is set to have a meeting with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir on Friday in order to discuss ways to improve border security and restart the oil flow. The meeting will be held at the invitation of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

The two African presidents held their latest round of talks in the Ethiopian city in December 2012.

Sudan and South Sudan should also resolve the dispute over the status of the oil-rich border region of Abyei, which is also known for its fertile grazing land.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 as part of a 2005 peace treaty, which ended decades of war between the two countries.

MR/HSN/HJL