New York  - Saudi Arabia and Britain said late Thursday that a final text on the Gaza conflict was agreed on by Western and Arab nations, and they expect a vote soon by the UN Security Council in New York, after diplomats spent three days forging the language.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, called the compromise "a historic event," speaking to reporters late Thursday following hours of negotiations between the two sides.

British Foreign Minister David Miliband said that negotiators were brought together at UN headquarters "by the gravity of the situation on the ground in the Middle East."

Miliband said the two sides had achieved a "genuine consensus" for a strong resolution to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)