Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday vowed to reach a peaceful political settlement to his country's dispute with South Sudan over Abyei area and the demarcation of border between the two countries.

"The cooperation deal, signed in Addis Ababa, has paved the way for resolving all the outstanding issues between the two countries. We vow to reach a solution for the issue of Abyei and border demarcation," said al-Bashir when addressing the new session of the Sudanese parliament here on Monday.

"The recent agreement will achieve a breakthrough of the relations between the two countries and open the cooperation horizons for the interests of the two countries' peoples," he said, adding that the mechanisms entrusted with the implementation of the joint agreement will begin their work this week.

The Sudanese president further stressed the importance of breaking the link between South Sudan and the armed groups at South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas, which will help "expand the opportunities for reaching a political and peaceful solution."

In September, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit between the two countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Witnessed by the members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), the two sides have inked three deals on cooperation, security, and post-secession.

However, the agreements have neither tackled the issues of the oil-rich area of Abyei nor the demarcation of the borders.

Khartoum is rejecting a proposal by the African Union mediation on conducting a referendum at Abyei next October.