Darfur deal paves way for accord on UN role-ministers

BRUSSELS, May 8 (Reuters) A deal between the Sudanese government and the main Darfur rebel faction should pave the way for the speedy conclusion of an agreement on the United Nations' role in Darfur, European and African ministers said today.

The government of Sudan and the main Darfur rebel faction signed a peace agreement on Friday to end three years of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced 2 million to flee their homes.

The African Union is to meet on May 15 in Addis Ababa to try to convince the two rebel factions that haven't signed the peace deal to sign, and to decide on whether and when to turn over the African Union peacekeeping mission to the United Nations.

''Ministers were of the view that ... the Darfur Peace Agreement ... would open the way for an early conclusion of discussions between the UN and the Government of National Unity of Sudan on the role of the UN in Darfur,'' said European Union and African ministers in a joint statement on Monday.

Western nations have called for the 7,000 African Union peacekeepers in Sudan's vast west to be replaced or taken over by a U.N. mission. The badly-equipped, under-funded AU troops have been unable to end the fighting.

Last week's peace agreement raised hopes Khartoum might now consider a U.N. deployment. Sudan had said in the past it would only do so after a peace deal with Darfur rebels.

A Sudan Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday Sudan had not yet decided whether to allow UN peacekeepers in.

A draft version of the joint EU-Africa statement did mention that the peace agreement paved the way for a transition from an AU to a UN mission. But under Sudan's pressure, it was watered down to the mention of a UN role, without specifying what that would be, an EU diplomat said.

The EU-Africa statement was issued after talks between EU and AU foreign ministers in Vienna. Sudan's foreign minister took part.

REUTERS CH PM2355