Sudanese officials say politicians from the country's rival north and south have agreed to allow the international court of arbitration in The Hague to resolve a conflict over the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei.
An official with the northern National Congress Party says lawmakers from both sides will pick a five-member arbitration team to lead the process.
Clashes between forces of the northern-based government and the semi-autonomous south virtually destroyed Abyei last month and displaced tens of thousands of residents.
Analysts have warned the dispute over the region could jeopardize the 2005 peace agreement that ended Sudan's long-running north-south civil war.
Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold a referendum in 2011 over whether to secede from the rest of the country.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
