Sudan, South Sudan to begin negotiations

Sudan and South Sudan on Monday are to begin direct negotiations on outstanding issues in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa under the mediation of African Union (AU), Khartoum's Al-Sahafa daily reported. "Sudan and South Sudan are to resume a round of direct negotiations on outstanding issues between them in Addis Ababa on Monday," the paper said, adding that "the two countries' security delegations have arrived in Addis Ababa to discuss the security files set within the African roadmap for the negotiations." The two countries' ministers of defence and interior, as well as security chiefs, would gather together to discuss issues of hostilities, the rebel movements and mechanisms of border protection. The AU High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) last week formed a tripartite committee of the two countries' negotiating delegations and the mediation's technical experts to set the agenda for the negotiations. Sudan and South Sudan have negotiated in Addis Ababa on a number of outstanding issues, including security, oil and border, but the negotiations ceased due to recent clashes between the two in the oil-rich border area of Heglig. The AU Peace and Security Council on April 24 issued a resolution, asking the UN Security Council to support its demands for Sudan and South Sudan to stop hostilities within 48 hours, resume negotiations within two weeks, and complete peace agreement in three months. On May 2, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding Sudan and South Sudan to "immediately cease all hostilities, including aerial bombardments, with the parties formally conveying their commitment in this respect to the chairperson of the AU Commission and the president of the Security Council not later than 48 hours from the adoption of this resolution." The resolution further asked Sudan and South Sudan to " unconditionally withdraw all of their armed forces to their side of the border, in accordance with previously adopted agreements."