The UN Security Council has reached a broad agreement on a draft resolution to authorise up to 26,000 troops and police for Sudan's Darfur region.
Britain and France distributed a fourth revised text last night to be sent to governments of the 15 council members. A vote could be held as early today or tomorrow on a combined or so-called "hybrid" United Nations-African Union force, diplomats said.
Estimated to cost up to €2 billion in the first year, the operation is an effort to quell violence in Sudan's western region, where more than 2.1 million people have been driven from their homes and an estimated 200,000 have died over the last four years.
Parts of the resolution are under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which makes it mandatory. This includes taking "necessary action," a euphemism for the use of force, in self-defence of UN-AU personnel, to ensure freedom of movement of humanitarian workers as well as to protect civilians.
Sponsors of the draft, Britain and France, spoke to Sudanese diplomats to explain the draft and get agreement from Khartoum. Deleted from earlier texts was the right to "seizure and disposal" of illegal arms in violation of earlier agreements. Now the new force is to "monitor" such weapons.
Specifically, the text would authorise no more than 19,555 military personnel and 6,432 civilian police.