WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The source of problems between Sudan and South Sudan lies in political issues that can only be settled through negotiations, a U.S. envoy said.
Washington is hosting an international engagement conference on South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan following a January referendum.
That vote was part of a peace agreement reached with U.S. help. It ended a civil war in Sudan, though border conflicts and issues over oil revenue sharing threaten the peace agreement.
Princeton Lyman, the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, said border issues were a primary concern for Washington.
"We are continuing, of course, to be very concerned about the security situation, which has been exacerbated by the fighting going on in the southern states of Sudan -- Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile," he said.
Sudanese officials, he noted, blamed counterparts in South Sudan for fomenting violence across the border. However, instead of finger-pointing, however, negotiations must move forward in a positive fashion, Lyman said.
"The government of Khartoum and the people from those states have to get back to a political process and it's not any support from the south that is at the heart of the problem," he said.
