Both sides have agreed to demarcate the north-south border while allowing northern nomads to graze in the south.
Ahead of a January referendum on the independence of South Sudan, the North and the South have agreed on a framework to resolve most outstanding issues, as voter registration for the referendum kicked off on Monday across the country and abroad.Both sides have agreed to demarcate the north-south border while allowing northern nomads to graze in the south.
The framework also includes commitments to allow Sudanese citizens the right to live in either North or South Sudan.
The January referendums in southern Sudan and the disputed oil-rich Abyei region straddling north and south are part of a 2005 peace deal that ended a two-decade-old civil war in Sudan which left an estimated two million dead.
The African Union (AU) statement said both parties "committed themselves to the immediate demarcation of the north-south border".
"In the event of secession, this will be the longest inter-state border in Africa, hosting in its immediate vicinity on both sides a significant proportion of Sudan's population," the statement said.
"The parties have committed themselves to maintaining a 'soft border', which will permit unhindered economic and social activity and interaction, which will be essential for economic prosperity and harmony between the north and the south."
Under the new framework, the disputed border area of Abyei will be addressed directly by the presidents of Sudan and the semi-autonomous south, the statement said.
On the other hand, referendum commission spokesman George Benjamin said registration centers had opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) at the start of a two week process during which some five million southern Sudanese are called to add their names to the electoral list.
In the southern capital Juba officials were awaiting the arrival of the president of the semi-autonomous region, Salva Kiir, who was expected to set an example by registering early.
A registration center visited by AFP in the northern city of Bahri, a suburb of Khartoum, opened a little after 8:00 am but no one was waiting to register.
Voters are set to decide on January 9 whether to opt for secession or stay in a united Sudan.