UN officials and diplomats welcomed on Wednesday an agreement reached between the world body, the African Union (AU) and the Sudanese government to dispatch a proposed peacekeeping force to Darfur.

The 15-member UN Security Council was briefed on Wednesday morning by UN Undersecretary-general Jean-Marie Guehenno on the tripartite agreement announced Tuesday by the AU in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Speaking to reporters after the council meeting, Guehenno hailed the agreement as "a significant step forward."

"We needed that step. We have that step now and we believe we can build on it," he said.

"It's very important to reach the agreement now (which) allows us to prepare for the hybrid mission," Guehenno said. "We hope that the Security Council will be in a position to adopt a resolution which will provide the basis for that hybrid mission."

The council's president for June, Johan Verbeke of Belgium, said that "generally there was a welcoming of this agreement as reported by the undersecretary-general."

Verbeke said members of the council "calls for the timely and full implementation of the agreement."

"They support a political process ... and call upon all parties for the immediate and unconditional respect of the cease-fire," Verbeke said.

Source: Xinhua