Sudan presidents meet in Ethiopia

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 15 (UPI) -- The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan met in Ethiopia this weekend to ramp up their discussions on various common issues, officials said.

Pagan Amim, chief negotiator for South Sudan, told reporters in Addis Ababa that the first face-to-face meeting between the two presidents went well despite the tensions along their border.

"It was a good meeting," said Pagan.

"The two presidents have agreed and instructed their negotiating teams to expedite negotiations and develop bold decisions in key areas as well as to reach agreements in all issues," Pagan said outside the hotel meeting room where Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Salva Kiir of South Sudan met for the first time since the two nations clashed in the oil city of Heglig last year.

Sudan and South Sudan have until Aug. 2 to come to an overall agreement on various issues under a U.N. resolution and the African Union's road map to ensuring independence for South Sudan, the Sudan Tribune said.

The establishment of a security buffer zone between the neighbors and guarantees on the transportation of crude oil produced in South Sudan were among the key issues discussed by the two presidents.