South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is willing to meet Sudanese counterpart Omar Al-Bashir to resolve conflicts and resume vital oil flows, a South Sudan minister said Friday after Bashir agreed to hold a summit. The neighbours agreed in September to set up a demilitarised border zone and resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan. Oil is the lifeline of both economies. Neither country has yet withdrawn its army from its side of the border, a precondition to resume oil flows. Both sides accuse the other of supporting rebels on the other's territory. South Sudan initially planned to resume exports by year-end after shutting down its output of 350,000 barrels a day in January after failing to agree an export fee with Sudan. On Wednesday, Bashir said he was ready to meet Kiir after the African Union urged both to hold a summit as soon as possible. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn visited Khartoum and Juba this week to mediate between the presidents.
