Bush hears grim Darfur report, aims to devise plan

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) President George W Bush said today he heard a grim report about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and the United States would work to come up with a plan to deal with it, but he offered few details.

Bush spoke after meeting Andrew Natsios, his new special envoy for Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes during a 3 1/2 year conflict that has spawned a severe humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has pitted mostly non-Arab rebels against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government and Janjaweed militia. All sides have been accused of grave human rights violations in the fighting.

''He came back with a grim report,'' Bush told reporters after meeting Natsios, who visited Sudan earlier this month.

''He also understands we've got to do something about it.'' The United States has been pressing Sudan without success to accept a UN Security Council resolution calling for a UN peacekeeping force of roughly 22,000 military and police to restore security to the region.

Sudan has repeatedly refused to allow the peacekeepers to replace a 7,000-strong African Union force that is strapped for money and equipment and has been unable to maintain peace in Darfur.

''The United States is going to work with the international community to come up with a single plan on how to address this issue and save lives,'' Bush said. ''The government of Sudan must understand that we're serious.'' Bush provided no details on the plan other than to repeat US calls for the deployment of a larger international force.

''One element of the plan is something that I strongly supported all along, and that there needs to be a credible and effective international force to go into Darfur to save lives,'' he said.

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