CAIRO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa welcomed Tuesday an agreement reached among the United Nations, the African Union and the Sudanese government on the UN "heavy support package" to the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), Egypt's news agency MENA reported.

    In a press statement, Moussa said the agreement was a "major step" within regional and international efforts to help the AMIS shoulder its responsibilities as stipulated in the Darfur Peace Agreement.

    Recent understandings stressed the importance of the language of cooperation and coordination among the parties concerned to solve any pending matters, said Moussa.

    During a tripartite meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on April 9, representatives of the UN, the AU and the Sudanese government reached an agreement in principle to inaugurate the second phase of a three-phase UN support plan for the AU mission in Darfur, known as "the heavy support phase."

    The heavy support package will involve "several hundred" UN personnel assisting AMIS and some logistic support, MENA said.

    The support plan was also known as the Annan plan as it was put forward by then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and accepted in principle by all the three parties in their meeting in Addis Ababa on Nov. 16 last year.

    It stipulates that the UN increases gradually its logistic, technical and human power support for the 7800-strong African peacekeeping force in Darfur until a joint UN-AU force is formed.