Sudan promised on Wednesday to cooperate with deployment of up to 26,000 U.N. and African Union troops and police to quell violence in Darfur after the U.N. Security Council authorised the force. "It is practical. It's taken into consideration most of our concerns -- we are comfortable with the resolution," Foreign Minister Lam Akol told Reuters. "Now that we have been part of the discussion we will definitely cooperate with it," he said, adding that the government had no problem with deploying the entire force, which is expected to take up to a year. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed the Security Council resolution, adding the United States expected Sudan's government to "live up to its commitments." Sally Chin, Sudan analyst from the International Crisis Group thinktank, said the unanimous vote -- including Sudan's ally China -- sent a strong signal. "Just because the 'sticks' of sanctions was removed from the text...does not mean they don't still exist as a tool, as the UK and the U.S. made very clear," she said. Activists from the Save Darfur Coalition welcomed the resolution but warned troop contributing countries they had to move quickly. "The world has failed Darfur on past occasions, condemning millions to a horrific fate," it said in a statement.