North, South Sudan negotiations proceed

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- U.N. peacekeepers will not be allowed in northern Sudan beyond July when the South's secession is to be complete, a Sudanese official said Wednesday.

Mustafa Ismail, a presidential adviser told the government-sponsored Sudanese Media Center Web site Khartoum does not intend to agree to any renewal of the U.N. mandate, the Sudan Tribune reported.

"If the Sudan People Liberation Movement wants the extension of [the U.N. peacekeepers] then it must talk with the U.N. Security Council for these forces to remain in the South," Ismail said.

Ismail dismissed a proposal by the African Union's Thabo Mbeki to extend the interim period beyond July 9, saying it would open the door for foreign interference when the country wants to concentrate on rebuilding.

People living in southern Sudan have voted overwhelmingly to split off from the North.

The Voice of America reported officials in South Sudan say progress is being made in negotiations to resolve remaining issues with the North, including how to handle the South's oil and currency.

Since the end of the country's civil war six years ago, the two sides have evenly split oil revenues. Pagan Amum, secretary-general of the southern ruling party, said oil revenue sharing will end.

"Southern Sudan will continue to export its oil through the north and it will pay fees, either transit fees or transport fees for the pipeline," Amum said.

The South will have its own currency, to be called the pound, and Amum said the Central Bank of Sudan has agreed to buy back Sudanese pounds from the Bank of Southern Sudan.

Still hanging are the issues of the oil-rich Abyei region and border demarcation, Amum said.

There have been outbreaks of violence in the South since the elections, with more than 200 people reported killed in recent days.