The UN Security Council has called for an immediate¹ and unconditional² end to fighting on Sudan's southern border.

联合国安理会要求苏丹南部边境的战争立即无条件停止。

It expressed its "deep and growing alarm" over the "escalating³ conflict", and said the situation threatened to return the countries to full-scale war.

Since Tuesday, South Sudanese forces have occupied the Heglig oilfield, on its disputed border with Sudan.

It said the Sudanese air force must stop bombing, while South Sudan withdraw from the Heglig oilfields.

The council also called on all forces to pull back 10 kilometres (six miles) from their shared border, and for the countries to hold an immediate presidential summit, as had been planned previously⁴.

Sudan's ambassador at the UN, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, welcomed the statement.

He said if Southern troops don't comply than Khartoum will "chase them out" and "hit deep inside South Sudan".

He dismissed the Council's demand that Sudan also end aerial（空中的） bombardments, saying reports of such attacks were fiction.

South Sudan's UN ambassador Agnes Oswaha supported the idea of talks, but said outstanding issues needed to be resolved immediately.

She added that South Sudan would only withdraw from Heglig if an international force was deployed⁵ to the area.

Earlier the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, told his parliament that he will not withdraw his troops.

He urged MPs to mobilise their supporters and prepare for war should Khartoum refuse to talks.

Meanwhile, South Sudan's army spokesman told the BBC Sudanese aircraft had bombed two towns, killing⁶ one person.

The fighting along the oil-rich border region is the worst since South Sudan gained independence last July.

Speaking in Geneva earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was gravely concerned about the situation and urged both governments to "cease hostilities⁷ immediately" and hold a presidential summit to negotiate a solution.

On Wednesday, Sudan admitted that South Sudan had seized the town of Heglig, which is home to facilities that account for around half of Sudan's oil production.