Further talks between Sudan and South Sudan aimed at ending their oil dispute have been postponed until early September because of the funeral of Ethiopia’s former prime minister Meles Zenawi. Sabir Hassan, co-chair of Sudan’s economic negotiations team, told reporters that the latest round of talks had been put back from this week to 3 September. Sudan and South Sudan reached an agreement earlier this month over transit fees for the South to use northern pipelines to export oil. However, a final pact depends on agreement over border demarcation. Meanwhile, the South has shut in all its oil fields and does not anticipate restarting production until December.