Ban lauds Sudan agreement

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday praised an agreed-to resolution of a fight over the contested Sudanese town of Abyei, a Ban spokesman said.

Abyei, located in an oil-rich region close to the boundary between northern and southern Sudan, has been the flash point of clashes that have displaced up to 50,000 people. The town has been heavily damaged by the fighting.

The National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement agreed Sunday to use arbitration and other efforts to end the Abyei dispute.

"The secretary-general congratulates the two parties and urges them to implement this agreement in full to ensure a final resolution of this most serious challenge to Sudan's comprehensive peace agreement," a spokesman for the U.N. leader said in a statement.

The 2005 agreement between the government and former rebels ended the civil war, but establishing boundaries between the north and south regions and the status of Abyei became a stumbling block to fully implementing the peace accord.

Ban said he "particularly welcomes the commitment of the two parties to allow the U.N. mission in Sudan unrestricted access and freedom of movement in the Abyei area." He said the organization would continue to provide help to those who have been displaced.