Sudan, South Sudan reach oil deal

ADDIS ABABA - Sudan and South Sudan have clinched an agreement on sharing their oil resources, officials said Saturday.

Under the deal, negotiating teams from both sides agreed to end a dispute on oil payments to allow the resumption of southern oil exports through Sudan's territories, according to African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki.

The negotiators met here in the Ethiopian capital, with the presence of African Union mediators, Sudan's state-run TV confirmed.

The agreement settled the issue on how much South Sudan will pay Sudan to transport and export the oil. But both countries still have to discuss when to resume southern oil exports through the north and how to resolve current territorial disputes, it said, citing official sources.

How to share the oil wealth became a thorny issue between the two sides after the independence of South Sudan last year. While most of the oil wells are in the south, the pipelines and port to export the oil are in the north.