UN chief to press Sudan's Bashir on Darfur force

KISANGANI, Congo, Jan 28 (Reuters) Sudan must make concrete commitments on allowing UN peacekeepers into Darfur and will be pressed to do so at an African Union summit this week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said today.

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has long resisted UN deployment but faces growing international pressure to give the go-ahead.

His agreement is sought for the final part of a three-phase plan aiming to send in more than 10,000 UN troops for a combined force with African Union (AU) troops already in Darfur.

Experts estimate the conflict in Sudan's western region, which Washington has branded genocide, has killed 200,000 people and compelled more than 2.5 million from their homes.

''I am going to discuss this matter and urge Mr Bashir to implement his commitments. I will urge him to make concrete commitments and for these commitments to be put into action,'' Ban told reporters in Congo before flying to Ethiopia, where he is to meet Bashir during a two-day AU summit starting tomorrow.

The first phase of the plan involves a small force of UN military and civilian forces moving into Darfur, followed in the second phase by about 2,500 more UN troops, and finally by another 10,000 soldiers to form the hybrid force.

''We have completed the first phase of the plan and we are in the process of discussing the second phase of the plan. Now we need to agree on concrete terms about command and control and force duration and all these logistics,'' Ban said.

''All technical matters should be agreed upon under previous terms. Without this I don't think member states of the United Nations will be able to provide the necessary financial contributions in this matter,'' he said.

SHORT OF TROOPS As well as financial commitments, the UN is short of troops: few countries, with the notable exception of Bangladesh, have shown willing to contribute forces even for the second phase. The final combined force would have about 17,000 troops.

Ban's special envoy Jan Eliasson of Sweden met Bashir just days after Ban started his job on January 1.

''When my special representative Mr Eliasson met President Bashir he came out with more or less encouraging news, and this time I'd like to urge him that rather than making promises, it is important to make a firm commitment. This is my commitment while attending the AU summit,'' Ban said.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno said last week the AU and United Nations were working on a common position on issues including troop numbers, chain of command and force mandate to present to Sudan so the AU summit would not simply refer the matter to a further study group.

Sudan is a testy subject for the African Union, which postponed Bashir's tenure of the revolving AU chairmanship a year ago at a summit in Khartoum.

Sudanese officials say the AU should reject Western pressure and name him as chair at the Addis Ababa summit, warning Sudan may withdraw from the AU if it does not.

The atmosphere has also soured since Sudanese police and security officials arrested 20 UN, African Union and other aid workers nine days ago. Five UN staff were beaten with rifles and one accused police of sexually assaulting her.

Ban has protested over the incident, the latest in a long line of security problems encountered by international aid efforts to assist Darfur's stricken millions.

REUTERS SP KP2121