KHARTOUM, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Celebrations over South Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s overwhelming vote for independence mask concerns over a list of unresolved questions that must be answered before the split, each capable of reigniting tensions between the two old foes.
Below are facts about some of the main issues that will dominate the agenda ahead of the south&${esc.hash}39;s departure on July 9.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
OIL
This will dominate the relationship between north and south Sudan until reserves run dry, thanks to its central role in both economies.
The north wants to work out some way of getting a slice of revenues from oil in the south, the source of most of the country&${esc.hash}39;s crude. A deal is almost inevitable. At the moment the only way for the south to get its oil to market is via the north&${esc.hash}39;s pipelines and port.
Crude revenues will be the main prize. Both sides will want to maximise their take. Oil could also be one of the main currencies of the talks -- a half percentage point of share here could be exchanged for a concession in another area there.
It is still not clear whether the north will take a share of the revenues or impose a charge for the use of its infrastructure. Unpicking rights over cross-border fields will also cause headaches.
The north and south&${esc.hash}39;s mutual dependence on oil remains the region&${esc.hash}39;s best hope for peace. Any sustained war would freeze oil flows and scare off investors.
DEBT
Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s crippling debts, now heading towards ${esc.dollar}40 billion, could be one of the main obstacles to the talks. The north is determined to translate international goodwill over its acceptance of the referendum result into debt forgiveness and says it expects the south to help sway creditors.
The challenge of shifting Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s debt is a huge one and the north may be left dangerously disappointed if relief is not forthcoming. Problems include the complexity of the debt burden, the widespread economic reforms Sudan would have to make to qualify for multilateral debt relief and other factors that are outside the south&${esc.hash}39;s control.
The ability of multilateral creditors to take action is hampered by U.S. sanctions, which cannot be lifted until Khartoum resolves its still-festering Darfur conflict.
Nearly 90 percent of Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s external debt is owed to bilateral and commercial creditors, with their own requirements, according to a paper by the Center for Global Development. The paper concluded it might take at least three to four years to clear unsustainable debt, plenty of time for the north to lose patience with the process and look for scapegoats in the south.
ABYEI
North and south leaders have reached stalemate over the ownership of the central flashpoint region of Abyei.
The fertile region is claimed by rival armed communities aligned to the north and the south. Abyei residents were supposed to have their own referendum last month on which half of the country to join. Disagreements over who qualified to vote left the process in limbo and the vote did not take place.
Both sides have already clashed since the end of the north- south civil war in 2005, most recently in the build-up to voting in the southern referendum.
Any unilateral move by the south-linked Dinka Ngok to claim Abyei as their own would almost certainly spark conflict with the north-linked Misseriya. Most political solutions, like a simple north-south partition of the territory, have already been proposed and rejected by one side or another.
Abyei remains the most likely place for full fighting to reignite.
PARTLY RESOLVED ISSUES
SECURITY
Diplomatic sources say the parties have made most progress in working out how to share out military hardware and separate their armies after the split. Serious risks remain. At least 50 people died over the weekend when southern soldiers, employed by the northern army in the south&${esc.hash}39;s oil-producing Upper Nile state, mutinied after refusing to redeploy north with their weapons.
CITIZENSHIP
Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has ruled out allowing people to have joint north-south citizenship after the split. He has said southerners could be offered rights of free residency, movement, work and ownership in the north. Diplomatic sources say the south has largely accepted the proposals.
Tens of thousands of southerners living in the north have taken the matter into their own hands by moving back south. The fate of the remainder -- as well as northerners in the south -- remains a highly emotional issue.
Bashir has said southerners will not be able to hold onto government jobs in the north, leaving a question mark over thousands of southerners employed by the northern army, security forces and civil service.
BORDER
Both sides have agreed to maintain a "soft" border, allowing the movement of nomads and trade between their territories. They also say the bulk of the border -- up to 80 percent -- has been mapped out. Progress over demarcating the remainder has stalled, particularly in Abyei.
CURRENCY
The south has announced it will likely launch its own currency after the split. The mechanisms of this expensive procedure have not been worked out. It remains to be seen how cooperative the north will be in redeeming southern stocks of the Sudanese pound. Both sides have already openly clashed over the handling of forex reserves. Historians say one of the factors behind Ethiopia and Eritrea&${esc.hash}39;s border war were rows over fiscal mismanagement following Asmara&${esc.hash}39;s decision to launch its own currency. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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