UNITED NATIONS (AP) – A U.S.-British draft resolution introduced Thursday would transfer peacekeeping in Sudan’s conflict-wracked Darfur region from the African Union to a much larger U.N. force despite strong oppositon from Sudan.

The financially strapped African Union has asked that it hand over peacekeeping to a more robust U.N. mission but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has warned that Sudan’s army would fight any U.N. forces sent to Darfur.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry stressed that no U.N. force will deploy in Darfur without the consent of the government.

“We know that the agreement of the government of Sudan is quite crucial,” he said. “Our hope is that as we negotiate this text there will be clarity from the government of Sudan that … a U.N. operation should take place, and that we should transition as soon as possible.”

With violence escalating in Darfur, Jones Parry said he hopes the resolution can be adopted by the end of August.

U.S. deputy ambassador Jackie Sanders said the Sudanese government’s consent is not required by the resolution, but “practically speaking it’s going to be useful to have the government on board to get this accomplished.”

The resolution would replace the 7,000-strong African Union force with a U.N. peacekeeping mission of about 22,600 – comprising up to 17,300 troops, 3,300 international police officers, and 16 police units trained in riot and crowd control totaling about 2,000 officers.

A May peace agreement signed by the government and one of the major rebel groups was supposed to help end the conflict in Darfur. Instead, it has sparked months of fighting between rival rebel factions. More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur since 2003 when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Arab-led Khartoum government.

Britain and the United States introduced the draft resolution at a closed Security Council meeting following a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi, who told members that the security situation in Darfur had worsened since late June.

The AU has said it cannot handle long-term peacekeeping in Darfur and wants its force replaced by better-funded U.N. peacekeepers. The AU’s mandate runs out on Sept. 30 and its chief negotiator in Sudan, Sam Ibok, said this week that the African Union would need more international funding if it is to stay in Darfur.

The draft resolution calls for the U.N. force to start to deploy by Oct. 1. In the interim, it asks Secretary-General Kofi Annan to strengthen the AU force, including with additional aircraft and ground transport.

Sudan’s deputy U.N. ambassador Omar Bashir Manis questioned the Security Council’s motives and said the resources to deploy a U.N. force should instead be spent on beefing-up the African Union force.

“I think the sending of the (U.N.) troops in itself is becoming the objective, not the stabilization and assistance of the Sudanese people to improve the situation in Darfur,” Manis said.

The United Nations already has a peacekeeping force in southern Sudan monitoring a January 2005 peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war between the government and southern rebels.

AP-ES-08-17-06 1829EDT