Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has pledged his support to South Sudan, which gains its independence from the north on Saturday. "We will bless our brothers in the south over their country and we wish them success," he said, state TV quoted him as saying. The president said he wanted the new country to be "secure and stable". But he warned "brotherly relations" depended on secure borders and non-interference in each others' affairs. Southerners voted to split from Sudan in a referendum last January, following the 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war - in which an estimated 1.5 million died. There had been fears that war could resume after recent fighting in two border areas, Abyei and South Kordofan, which has forced some 170,000 people from their homes. But separate deals in recent weeks, and the withdrawal of rival forces from the border, have calmed tensions. 'Good neighbours' "We reiterate our readiness to stand with them and support them because they want their country," said Mr Bashir, who is due in the southern capital, Juba, on Saturday for the independence celebrations. "We will not interfere in your internal affairs. Likewise, we will not allow you to interfere in our internal affairs," he warned. "We are capable of responding but we do not want to. He said he wanted "good neighbourliness and friendship", as well as good trade links. Analysts say the priority for Mr Bashir's government in its relations with South Sudan will be to negotiate a favourable deal on oil revenue, as most oilfields lie in the south. At present, the revenues are being shared equally. Khartoum has some leverage, as most of the oil pipelines flow north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Source: BBC