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THE UNITED Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday calling for the speedy implementation of the peace accord in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region and threatening "strong and effective measures" against the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) which has refused to sign the African Union-brokered Abuja peace accord.

Resolution 1679, drafted by the United States, urged those parties "that have not signed the agreement to do so without delay and not act in any way that would impede implementation of the agreement."

US Ambassador John Bolton, who had lobbied hard for adoption of the text, hailed it as "a very important development".

The resolution also endorsed Monday's decision by the African Union Peace and Security Council that, "in view of the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement, concrete steps should be taken to effect the transition from AMIS (the AU force in Darfur) to a United Nations operation."

The draft also calls on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to submit recommendations to the Security Council within seven days of the return of the assessment team on all key aspects of the future UN operation, "including force structure, additional force requirements, potential troop-contributing countries and a detailed financial evaluation of future costs".

On Monday the AU gave the two holdout Darfur rebel groups a 24-hour deadline to sign a peace deal with Khartoum or face UN sanctions and urged Sudan to accept a UN force in the troubled western region.

Sudan is opposed to the deployment of UN troops in Darfur. Khartoum has given mixed signals since the 5 May signing of a peace deal in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. "The government of Sudan would find itself in a very difficult position if it didn't cooperate with this transition," US Ambassador John Bolton said. The Abuja accord provides for a more equitable distribution of power and wealth, the disarming of the pro-government Janjaweed militias -- blamed for a campaign of terror against Darfur civilians -- and a referendum on the future of Darfur.

(photo: AFP)