Bush says Darfur situation dire, urges peace force

WASHINGTON, Dec 9: US President George W Bush pressed for international action to address a ''dire'' situation in Darfur region of Sudan where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by fighting. Countries need ''to work with the Sudanese government to enable a peacekeeping force into that country to facilitate aid and save lives,'' Bush said after a meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki esterday.

''He shares my concerns that the situation is dire, and now is the time for action,'' Bush said. The United States has called the killings there genocide, a charge the Sudanese government has rejected.

The United Nations has tried to negotiate the entry of a large peace-keeping mission to protect people driven out of their homes in fighting among rebels, pro-government militia and Sudanese forces.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has rejected any UN troops in Darfur or a proposed hybrid force that includes UN and African Union troops.

There are already some 7,000 African troops in Darfur but the UN Security Council has authorized up to 22,500 troops and police on the condition that Sudan agreed. The African troops are considered underfunded and lacking equipment.

''It's very urgent, very necessary, and we'll absolutely do everything to make sure that from the African side we remove any obstacles there might be to such bigger deployment in Darfur,'' Mbeki said.

US envoy Andrew Natsios lett yesterday for Sudan where he will visit Khartoum, Darfur and southern Sudan before moving on to neighboring Chad. Violence has spilled over into Chad sparking concerns.

''When we're talking about an A.U.-UN hybrid force, being able to work closely with Chad in terms of the deployment of those forces would be quite important, we believe,'' said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

REUTERS