The United States said Monday it will ask the UN Security Council to deploy an interim security force to Abyei, where armed confrontation between northern and southern Sudan has taken place over the last few weeks. US Ambassador Susan Rice said Washington planned to submit a draft resolution to the council for the interim force. The UN mission in Sudan is comprised of 10,000 military and civilian personnel, monitoring a north-south ceasefire since 2005. The council discussed recent developments in Sudan and its members listened to briefings through a video conference with former South African President Thabo Kbeki, who is mediating an end to the fighting.
