The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to extend the mandate of the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) by a week.

The Council's 15 members unanimously adopted a resolution that maintains UNAMIS until March 17, after its mandate had been originally due to expire Thursday.

The members also discussed plans to establish a fully-fledged peacekeeping mission in the south of Africa's largest country and set out measures to encourage peace in the troubled Darfur region in the west.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed the creation of a peacekeeping force, comprising at least 10,000 military personnel, in southern Sudan to help the region stabilize after the Sudanese government and rebel forces signed a peace agreement in January ending their 21-year civil war.

The new mission, which would replace UNAMIS, is expected to cost more than US$1 billion to establish and run for its first 12 months.

(Xinhua News Agency )