U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed the agreement reached between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-North) on political and security arrangements for Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, two states along what will be the country's north-south border when south Sudan formally declares independence in July. “The secretary-general commends both parties for the political will they have demonstrated in reaching the agreement,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York City.
