Sudan: pipelines to South be opened

Sudan won't let South Sudan transfer oil through its pipelines, Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir said yesterday. "We don't want any oil fees from South Sudan," Al Bashir said in a speech attended by thousands yesterday in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to celebrate ‘Heglig liberation'. "Their oil will not pass through our pure land, and we will not open the pipelines for them," he said. South Sudan said yesterday it was withdrawing its forces from the disputed border region of Heglig as Sudan's defence minister said Sudanese soldiers drove them out. South Sudan occupied the oil-rich Heglig region on April 10 in an escalation of fighting between the two countries. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon yesterday called the move an "illegal act." While both nations claim Heglig, Sudan has administered its oil fields since the south seceded in July, assuming control of about three-quarters of the formerly united country's production of 490,000 barrels a day. South Sudan halted oil production in late January after accusing Sudan of stealing its shipments. Sudan said it confiscated the crude to make up for unpaid fees. South Sudan seceded last July 9, leaving unresolved issues, including the status of disputed areas along their border, and the amount it will pay to transport its oil through a pipeline across Sudan.