20110612
xinhua
ADDIS ABABA, June 11(Xinhua) -- The African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for Sudan will convene a summit meeting here on Jun 12-13 to discuss immediate issues between northern and southern Sudan.

According to a statement issued by the AU on Saturday, President Omar Hassan al Bashir and First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit will both participate in the summit.

South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki, chairperson of the panel, will preside over the meeting along with panel members Abdusalami Abubakar, former president of Nigeria, and former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya.

The chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia will also attend the gathering.

The summit will be held just four weeks before the independence of South Sudan. High on the agenda is the issue of Abyei, including the withdrawal of armed forces from the area and the dispatch of an Africa-led international mission to provide security, the creation of conditions for the speedy return of displaced people and protection of civilians, as well as steps towards a final settlement of the status of the area, the statement said.

Other items on the agenda for the summit include the speedy establishment of mechanisms for joint security management between the north and the south, and the forthcoming round of negotiations on post-secession economic arrangements.