KHARTOUM, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Sudan has run out of time to hold a referendum on the future of its oil-producing Abyei region by a Jan. 9 deadline and must delay it or find another way of settling the issue, northern officials said on Thursday.
"It is very clear that right now it is not possible to have the Abyei referendum on 9, January 2011. We all agree that this is no longer practical," Didiri Mohammad Ahmad, a senior member of Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) said. "We agreed that the next talks we will try to look for other alternatives."
Sudan's minister of international cooperation Jalal Yousuf Al-Digair told the same news conference that the government would be open to a proposal to delay the referendum by a few months.
(Reporting by Andrew Heavens)
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