Sudan, S.Sudan resume oil talks for 1st time since border fighting
Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:12pm GMT
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA, July 26 (Reuters) - Sudan and recently independent South Sudan
resumed crucial talks on Thursday to end an oil dispute for the first time
since border fighting brought the African neighbours to the brink of war in
April.
The two countries face sanctions from the U.N. Security Council unless they
thrash out a comprehensive deal resolving all their conflicts by Aug. 2.
Tensions escalated in April when their armies fought for weeks along the
disputed border, the worst violence since South Sudan became independent a
year ago under a 2005 peace agreement.
African Union-sponsored talks, led by former South African President Thabo
Mbeki, have been hampered by sharp disagreements over where to mark the
disputed border and how much landlocked South Sudan should pay to export oil
through northern pipelines.
In January, South Sudan shut down its 350,000 barrels per day oil output
after Khartoum started taking oil for what it called unpaid fees. Both
crumbling economies badly need the oil to flow through, bringing them each
vital foreign cash.
"Negotiations on oil fees started today," said Atif Kiir, spokesman for
South Sudan's negotiations team in the Ethiopian capital. He did not
elaborate at the start of the round.
Sudan hopes both countries will find a solution to allow southern oil
exports through the north, Sudan's state news agency SUNA quoted the head of
its delegation, Mutrif Siddiq, as saying.
"The government of Sudan wants to continue the flow of oil through Sudan,"
he said according to SUNA.
South Sudan said on Monday it was willing to pay $9.10 and $7.26 per barrel
to transport oil through two pipelines crossing Sudan, alongside a $3.2
billion dollar package to compensate for the loss of most oil reserves to
the north.
This offer is higher than before but still well below Sudan's last demand of
$36 a barrel for both pipelines.
Both sides are also at loggerheads over Khartoum accusations that South
Sudan supports its rebels in two southern border states and the Darfur
region, a claim that many diplomats find credible despite denials from Juba.
South Sudan itself accuses its neighbour of bombing its territory. Sudan
routinely denies these claims but Reuters reporters have witnessed several
air strikes. (Editing by Ulf Laessing)
C Thomson Reuters 2012 All rights reserved
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Received on Thu Jul 26 2012 - 13:50:53 EDT
