Sudans called to end dispute

JUBA, South Sudan - Reuters

‘A percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing,’ says Clinton. REUTERS Photo

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged South Sudan and Sudan to end an oil dispute on Aug. 3 that has brought the neighbors to the brink of war, in the highest-level visit of a U.S. official to Juba since its independence a year ago.

Clinton said both nations should reach an oil agreement as a first step to end hostilities. Juba sent both economies into turmoil when it shut down its oil output in January to stop Khartoum seizing oil for what the latter called unpaid fees. “A percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing,” she said, referring to the importance of an oil deal.

“Both countries will need to compromise to close the remaining gaps between them,” she said during her 3-hour visit to Juba, part of an 11-nation African tour.

Both nations came to the brink of a full war in April after border fighting escalated.

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