The secretary of external relations of Sudan’s ruling National Congress party, Professor Ibrahim Ghandour reaffirmed Sudan's keenness to achieve ‘peaceful and good neighborly relations with the State of South Sudan’. His remarks point to strong political backing for an oil sharing agreement that is expected before the close of the current round of negotiations in Addis Ababa.

The statement came Saturday afternoon at the headquarters of the National Congress Party during a meeting with a delegation of the Pan-African Parliament appointed to make an inquiry into the situation between the two countries. The parliamentary mission was headed by the Rwandan Juliana Katengwa, head of the Parliament’s Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the Sudan Workers Union Yousif Ali and the Secretary of Youth Union and Member of the National Assembly Saleh Musa.

Prof. Ghandour told the visiting African delegation that the points of contention between Sudan and South Sudan are the security arrangements, oil, borders demarcation and Abyei, according to the state news agency SUNA. He spoke in details about the position of Sudan and its suggestions regarding these issues and the progress made over them.

The ruling party official also provided the parliamentary mission with written documents supporting Sudan’s position and called on them to urge South Sudan to be responsive and committed to achieving peace and the common interests of the citizens of the two countries.

For its part, the mission through its Central Africa member expressed its ‘satisfaction’ with their meeting with Professor Ghandour and the documentation he presented to them, asserting that the documents would assist them in preparing their report on their mission, SUNA reported.

On the other hand, the head of the Sudanese government delegation in the negotiations with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Kamal Obeid, announced that they will condition the start of the negotiation process with SPLM-N on the disengagement of the movement from South Sudan.

The Secretary General of the SPLM-N Yasser Arman had earlier told Sudan Tribune website that the African Union mediators informed them that they would hold a tour on Tuesday and that the cadres of the movement are supposed to participate in the negotiation over the several regions. Arman had asserted that they would arrive to Addis Ababa soon.

Arman also stressed on the movement's commitment to enter into negotiations with Khartoum and implement the resolutions of the Security Council. He also stated that the movement intends to provide a list of its negotiators detained in Khartoum to intervene and allow them to catch up with the tour.