Sudan, South Sudan reach agreement on Abyei, implementation of cooperation ... - Xinhua

 • Sudan and South Sudan on Saturday agreed to implement the items of security agreements.

 • The two sides have also agreed to speed up formation of the civil institutions for the Abyei area.

 • A timetables was set for the implementation of the cooperation deal signed in September last year.

KHARTOUM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and South Sudan on Saturday agreed in Addis Ababa of Ethiopia to implement the items of security agreements and to set up civil institutions for Abyei area, official SUNA news agency reported.

"Sudan and South Sudan have agreed during the summit between the two countries' presidents Omar al-Bashir and Salva Kiir Mayardit to implement the item of security arrangements by breaking the link between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/ northern sector," the agency said in its mobile news service.

"The two sides have also agreed to speed up formation of the civil institutions for the disputed area of Abyei and set timetables for the implementation of the cooperation deal signed by the two countries in September last year," the report added.

Sudan's al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Kiir have met late Friday in the Ethiopian capital to push for progress in the stalled cooperation deal between the two countries in the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

On Sept. 27, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia.

Witnessed by members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

A referendum was scheduled to be held in Abyei to decide the fate of the area coincident with the referendum on self- determination for South Sudan in January 2011, which resulted in the separation between the north and the south. But the voting did not take place due to differences over who has the right to vote.

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As Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit resumed talks in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Friday, political analysts predict that either side would be reluctant to give up the Abyei area. Full story

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KHARTOUM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese people are awaiting a summit between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit, slated for Friday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, which observers regarded it as " crossroads meeting" to overcome issues of difference between the two countries.

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