UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution yesterday to prosecute Sudanese war-crimes suspects before the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the United States reversed policy and agreed not to use its veto.

The United States won significant concessions, including guarantees that Americans working in Sudan would not be handed over to either the ICC or any other nation's courts if they are accused of crimes in Sudan.

President Bush had actively opposed the court, and U.S. diplomats had said repeatedly that they opposed any variation that referred the Sudan cases to it.

Yesterday, Bush administration officials said they were dropping their objections.

France, Britain and seven other Security Council members have ratified the ICC statute, while two more have signed and are expected to ratify. In total, 98 countries are parties to the treaty and 139 are signatories.

The document is the last of three Security Council resolutions aimed at putting pressure on Sudan to stop a crisis in Darfur between government-backed militias and rebels that has killed an estimated 180,000 people.