Excerpt from the United States Department of State daily press briefing:

QUESTION: Sudan?

MR. VENTRELL: Sure. Sudan.

QUESTION: So now the deadline expires, set by the UN and the international community, for an agreement between South Sudan and Sudan on their various issues that are still to be negotiated. As you know, the Secretary's going to be there this week. Do we know if this deadline's likely to be extended to allow them to overcome some of these issues? And what is the U.S. trying to do to make sure the two sides come together?

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah. I don't know, Jo, whether the deadline will be extended. I know the situation is very fluid here as we get up to this deadline. Suffice it say we've been calling on the parties to immediately fulfill their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2046. And so we see a great urgency to this. Obviously, you've seen statements by Ambassador Rice and others about the U.S. position about the urgency concerning this. But in terms of what plays out here in the next day or two, I think it's fluid, and so I don't think we had a specific direction--

QUESTION: And what is the latest result in trying to bring the sides together? I mean, will this be part of what happens during the Secretary's visit?

MR. VENTRELL: I mean, the Secretary, obviously, as you mentioned, will be in South Sudan. She'll meet with President Kiir and others. And so, obviously, these issues will be on the table. But the wider issue of the North and South meeting their obligations under this resolution - obviously Princeton Lyman is very engaged in diplomacy, and we have many other Africans who are involved as well in terms of the negotiations. But beyond saying that Ambassador Lyman is engaged, I don't have anything further for you.

QUESTION: Have you had any contact with Mbeki? Because I believe he's been leading the negotiations on this thing.

MR. VENTRELL: We're absolutely in contact with him.

QUESTION: Yeah?

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:33 p.m.)