Sudan has inked a deal with the United Nations and the African Union (AU) on the deployment of African and UN forces in Darfur, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir called Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and informed him that the three parties have signed an agreement that determines the duties and role of the African and UN forces in the Darfur region, SPA said.

The deal was signed in Riyadh during the Arab summit held in the Saudi capital late in March, the agency said, without giving further details about the agreement.

The United States has pressed Sudan to accept thousands of UN peacekeepers in the Darfur region. Sudan has said earlier it will take as many African troops as needed in the region but objected to a UN force deployment.