Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Leaders of north and south Sudan Sunday began discussions aimed at resolving their border conflict, former South African President Thabo Mbeki said here. On the first day of their two-day meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Omar al-Bashir and Salva Kiir discussed  the withdrawal of their troops from Abyei, possible deployment of Ethiopian troops as peacekeepers and the future administration of the flashpoint Abyei, according to Mbeki, who leads the  African Union High Level Panel on Sudan. He said though no conclusions had been reached, the major issues were already being discussed at the meeting, which will continue Monday.

An AU statement had said the meeting would 'focus upon key issues facing Sudan at this historic juncture, just four weeks before the independence of South Sudan'.

“The two sides are able to discuss these issues and that is all I can say for now,” Mbeki told journalists at the Ethiopian National Palace, where the talks are being held.

Pana 13/06/2011