KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The U.N. secretary-general said he welcomed the Sudanese approval of a deal with South Sudan that paves the way for the resumption of oil exports.
The independent Sudan Tribune reports Sudanese lawmakers approved of a cooperation agreement signed in September in Ethiopia with the government in South Sudan. The resumption of oil exports from South Sudan through Sudanese transit networks and a demilitarized zone along the border are part of the package.
South Sudan, independent since July 2011, halted oil production in January in response to alleged stealing by the Sudanese government. South Sudan controls most of the regional oil fields though Sudan has the export infrastructure.
Kenya and land-locked South Sudan had discussed building a 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline that would reach ports along Indian Ocean.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued through his spokesman, congratulated both sides for ratifying the deal. Both countries, however, were urged to settle outstanding issues like the disputed border area of Abyei.
Border issues, ethnic conflicts and disputes over oil had threatened to derail the 2005 peace agreement that secured South Sudan's independence. Both sides approached the brink of war earlier this year following disputes over oil in the border territory of Heglig.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/10/18/Sudan-South-Sudan-agree-to-oil-terms/UPI-26351350565861/#ixzz29ezFW000
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