The United Nations (UN) will not carry out any operation in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur without the Sudanese government's approval, visiting UN Security Council delegation announced on Tuesday.

Head of the UN Security Council delegation Emyr Jones Parry, who is British ambassador to UN, reiterated the council's respect for Sudan's sovereignty and independence.

"Any international operation will not be carried out unless it is approved by the present government in Sudan," Parry said at a press conference.

UN have no intention to intervene with force and "we are trying to help Sudan to implement the Darfur Peace Agreement," added the British diplomat.

The delegation comprising representatives of all the 15 member states of the UN Security Council held talks with Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and Foreign Minister Lam Akol as well as other senior officials on the UN role in Darfur.

Parry said that what is needed at the present was to strengthen the African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur and to help implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which the Sudanese government signed with former rebel movements in southern Sudan last year.

A joint assessment team of the UN and the AU is to arrive in Khartoum on Friday to hold consultations with the Sudanese government on the UN role in Darfur region, Parry announced.

The joint assessment team will study ways of enhancing the AU role and transferring the AU peacekeeping mission to the UN, the British diplomat added.

On May 25, the Sudanese government agreed to led in the joint UN-AU team following a meeting between Sudanese President Omer al- Bashir and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

The joint assessment team is demanded by a UN Security Council resolution adopted on May 16, which calls for a quick deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

Chinese Permanent Representative in the UN Wang Guangya expressed the Security Council's appreciation for the Sudanese government's efforts to end conflicts in southern Sudan and Darfur region.

"We appreciate the Sudanese government's role in realizing the peace in the south and Darfur and we call on those refusing the Darfur Peace Agreement to join it," Wang said.

The Chinese ambassador said that the Security Council was keen to have a positive relationship with the Sudanese government and this visit indicated the council's concern to hear the Sudanese government's view points.

The Sudanese government refused any military role of the UN in Darfur, affirming that a peace agreement, which the government signed with a main Darfur rebel faction on May 5, did not include in its security arrangements any role for the UN or any other party except the AU.

The UN delegation, which arrived in Khartoum on Monday evening, will head for Addis Ababa on Wednesday to hold talks with AU officials on the Darfur issue.

The delegation will pay a visit to southern Sudan on Thursday and to Darfur on Friday in order to inspect the situations on the ground.

Source: Xinhua