SUDAN: Sudan resisted world powers' pressure yesterday to accept a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur to replace an African Union force which has been unable to stem violence that Washington calls genocide.
But after a donors' conference in Brussels involving the UN, the United States and Sudan, the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, expressed hope that Khartoum might be closer to accepting a UN peace force.
"Can I say that the government of Sudan has changed its position as stated by President Bashir? No," Mr Solana told a news conference. Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, again ruled out UN troops at an AU summit early this month.
"But there is no doubt that today a lot of things have been clarified and we are closer probably to having a change in that position," said Mr Solana.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guéhenno said he hoped there would be progress.
"After all, we are going there to help the government, we are going to help them protect their own people," UN secretary general Kofi Annan told reporters ahead of the talks.
Sudanese officials, who said before the meeting that they continue to reject a UN role, were not available for comment.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 2.5 million forced into exile in three years of fighting in Sudan.
The AU urged donors to finance its cash-strapped 7,000-strong peacekeeping force for a few more months before a UN takeover.
AU peacekeeping chief Said Djinnit said the AU needed $170 million (€136 million) to run its mission until the end of September - half of which had already been provided - and another $270 million to keep going until the end of the year while strengthening forces.
The EU gave a lower figure, saying the AU mission currently required €23 million per month.
US assistant secretary of state for African affairs Jendayi Frazer announced $116 million in aid. EU development aid commissioner Louis Michel said the EU would give €25 million to the AU and €40 million for humanitarian aid.
Mr Frazer and the EU said a UN operation was the only viable option in Darfur in the long term.
"To protect innocent lives in Darfur we need an international peacekeeping operation with the capability to address the complexity of the challenges," said Mr Frazer.
The AU had wanted to hand its operation to the UN at the end of September but its leaders agreed earlier this month to extend the mission.
Eight leading aid agencies called for the international community to focus on funding the AU to stop the killings now, rather than discuss the transfer.
"While an enormous amount of money is being spent debating what will happen in six months' time, no one seems to have noticed that people are still being killed today," said Denis Caillaux, secretary general of Care International.