Turnout in Southern Sudan vote passes 60 percent

More than 60 percent of registered voters already have cast ballots in an independence referendum, crossing the threshold needed for the vote to be valid if it creates the new country of Southern Sudan as expected, a southern official said Wednesday.
The south's secession would split Africa's largest country in two and deprive the north of most of its oil fields, though Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will let the south go peacefully. Ann Itto, an official with Southern Sudan's ruling Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement, told journalists on Wednesday that nearly 2.3 million voters had cast ballots so far, surpassing the 60 percent of registered votes needed to ensure the outcome's validity.
Some 2 million people died in a two-decade war between north and south Sudan that ended in 2005 with a peace agreement that allowed for the referendum on independence. The weeklong vote has been jubilant, though the future of the desperately poor region remains uncertain.
A U.S. official, meanwhile, said Tuesday that Sudan could be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism as early as July if Khartoum recognizes the results of the referendum on independence for the south. "Should the referendum be carried out successfully and the results are recognized by the government, President Obama would indicate his intention to begin the process of removing them," Princeton Lyman, the lead U.S. negotiator with Sudan, said. "It is a process that takes some time, but by beginning the process in the wake of the referendum, the hope is if they meet all the conditions it can be done by July," Lyman said.
Countries on the list of state sponsors of terrorism cannot receive U.S. aid or buy U.S. weapons, and bilateral trade is restricted. The list currently includes Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. The United States has banned virtually all trade with Sudan since 1997.
Compiled from AFP and AP reports by the Daily News staff.