Bashir says accepts south Sudan will secede

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said on Monday that Khartoum has accepted the outcome of the referendum on southern independence, hours before final results were expected to confirm a landslide for secession.

"We will announce today, in front of the world, that we accept the result and we respect the choice of southern Sudanese," Bashir said in a speech to women and students at the headquarters of the ruling National Congress Party.

"The result of the referendum is well known. South Sudan has chosen secession. But we are committed to the links between the north and the south, and we are committed to good relations based on cooperation."

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