By Skye Wheeler
JUBA, Sudan (Reuters) - Sudan's former north-south foesagreed on Saturday that an international court would decide theborders of the disputed oil-rich Abyei region, which could endtensions threatening a fragile peace deal, officials said.
Some 3-1/2 years after a landmark accord ending Africa'slongest civil war, the two sides have not agreed anadministration and borders or shared oil revenues from Abyeiwhich the south says contains one of Sudan's two largest oilfields.
The northern National Congress Party (NCP) and formersouthern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) willpick two arbitrators each from a list provided by TheHague-based Permanent Court for Arbitration. The four wouldthen pick a fifth chair, officials said after talks onSaturday.
The five will decide whether a team of experts, known asthe ABC commission and appointed under the 2005 peace deal,fully implemented their mandate when they defined borders whichthe NCP rejected and the SPLM accepted.
"If they say it has been implemented then... the tribunalshall put the ABC experts' report into force," said the NCPofficial responsible for Abyei, Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed. "If theysay it was not implemented then the tribunal shall define anddetermine the boundary."
Observers describe Abyei as Sudan's "Kashmir". A localdispute last month exploded into full-blown fighting betweenthe north and south armies killing at least 90, forcing 50,000to flee and burning much of Abyei town to the ground.
Under the 2005 peace accord, Abyei's residents will decidealong with the south whether to secede from the north or not in2011. Sudan produces some 500,000 barrels per day of crude andthe deal states the semi-autonomous southern government shouldget 50 percent of oil revenues from all fields in the south.
The two parties also said that a long-awaited electoral lawwhich will guide Sudan's first democratic elections in 23 yearsset for 2009 would be agreed on within a week.
"We agreed that within a week we should work together astwo parties and the other political parties ... to achievenational consensus on the electoral law," SPLM official YasirArman said.
More than 2 million people died in the north-south conflictwhich is separate from continuing violence in the westernDarfur region. Fought over differing ethnicities, ideology andreligion, the discovery of mostly southern oil intensified theconflict.
(Additional reporting by Opheera McDoom in Khartoum;Editing by Janet Lawrence)
