The UN Security Council unanimously approved on Wednesday a resolution calling for closer cooperation between the United Nations and regional groups, in particular the African Union (AU).

The vote at the Security Council chamber came after representatives from more than 40 countries spoke at an open debate on peace and security in Africa, chaired by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, which holds the council's rotating presidency.

In the South Africa-drafted resolution, the 15-member body expressed its "determination to take effective steps to further enhance the relationship" between the UN and regional groups, in particular the AU.

The council encouraged the "continuing involvement of regional and subregional organizations in the peaceful settlement of disputes, including through conflict prevention, confidence- building and mediation efforts."

The council welcomed the AU's role in efforts to settle conflicts in the African continent, expressing its support for the peace initiatives conducted by the AU, and through subregional groups.

It emphasized the need to strengthen the UN's role in conflict prevention and to develop effective partnerships between the UN and regional groups, in particular the AU, in order to enable early responses to disputes and emerging crises in Africa.

The council approved UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposal to set up within the next three months an AU-UN Panel consisting of distinguished persons to consider in-depth the modalities of how to support and financing peacekeeping operations undertaken by regional organizations, in particular as related to start-up funding, equipment and logistics.

It requested the UN chief to report to the Security Council on progress of the cooperation between the UN and relevant regional groups.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2008)