A negotiated solution for Abyei?

Voter registration for the South Sudan referendum on independence January 9 starts Monday and extends until December 1.  Preparations are reported to be adequate.

The problem is Abyei:  there is no agreement yet on who can register there for the separate referendum on whether it goes north or south.  That could spell trouble.  The U.S. is telling the Security Council it wants a negotiated solution in Abyei, rather than a referendum.  This is the classic “who does it belong to” problem.  Remember Eastern Slavonia, Brcko, and Kirkuk?