UNITED NATIONS, May 6 (Reuters) - The U.N. chief on Friday urged north and south Sudan not to unilaterally claim ownership of the oil-rich region of Abyei, saying it could wreck attempts to peacefully resolve a dispute over who will control it.
"The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) is deeply concerned by the continued tension in the Abyei area and underscores that the military stand-off is unacceptable," Ban's press office said in a statement, echoing remarks by the U.S. State Department on Thursday. [ID:nN05114746]
"He (Ban) deplores that the persistent deadlock has led to further loss of life," the statement said.
Soldiers from north Sudan's army clashed with southern forces in Abyei, killing 14, the United Nations said this week in the latest violence in the contested region.
South Sudan held a peaceful referendum in January that paved the way for it to secede from the north, and is due to formally emerge as an independent country in July.
But the two sides continue to disagree on the fate of Abyei and have built up troops and heavy weapons in the border area.
"The Secretary-General calls upon the leadership of the (north's) National Congress Party and (south's) Sudan People's Liberation Movement to refrain from any unilateral declarations regarding the ownership of the Abyei area as it jeopardizes the search for a peaceful resolution," the statement said.
"The parties must refrain from provoking each other or engaging in any military confrontation in Abyei as this could result in further loss of life and significantly affect the future relationship between north and south," it said.
The U.N. statement added that the resumption of negotiations on Abyei and a final agreement on its status "must now be a matter of priority."
Sudan's north and south have fought for all but a few years since 1955 over oil, ethnicity, religion and ideology. The conflict has killed an estimated 2 million people and destabilized much of east Africa.
Abyei residents were also supposed to have a referendum in January over whether to join the north or south. Disputes over who could vote derailed that ballot and talks over the status of the region have stalled.
Northern and southern leaders have also made little progress in talks over a range of issues including how they will divide up debts and assets, and how the south might pay the north to transport oil after the split. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Deborah Charles)
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