Sudan's Defense Minister Abdul- Rahim Mohamed Hussein on Saturday headed for Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, to review implementation of the joint cooperation deal signed between Sudan and South Sudan, official SUNA news agency reported.

"A delegation of the Sudanese side in the joint political and security committee between Sudan and South Sudan, headed by Sudan' s Minister of Defense Abdul-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, left here today for the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to take part in meetings of the committee there to review implementation of cooperation deal signed by the two countries," the report said.

Priorities of the Sudanese side to the meetings include immediate and unconditioned withdrawal of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) from four disputed border areas and stoppage of the support and shelter being provided by South Sudan to the rebel groups in Sudan, according to the report.

Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad, Sudanese army spokesman, was quoted as saying that the members of the joint political and security committee would continue negotiations for three days on what they have started in Khartoum and Juba regarding the outstanding issues between the two countries.

He added that the talks would also discuss how to implement what the two sides have recently agreed on with regard to the joint defense agreement in the presence of the African Union (AU) mediator Thabo Mbeki who would receive the two sides' proposals in Addis Ababa.

Khartoum insists on implementing items of the security agreement first and demands Juba to demobilize all the northern troops within the SPLA in South Sudan, including those from South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas.

On Sept. 27, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in Ethiopia.

Witnessed by members of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters.