UK,Ghana To Introduce UN Resolution To Authorize Darfur Force

UNITED NATIONS -- Two members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain and Ghana - are expected to introduce a resolution this week to authorize a joint U.N.-African Union force to help end the four-year conflict in Darfur, Britain's U.N. ambassador said Wednesday.

Emyr Jones Parry said he hopes the resolution will be adopted by the Security Council a week after it's introduced, although other council members weren't certain about such speedy approval.

The proposed 23,000-strong U.N.-AU hybrid force is the final phase of a three-stage U.N. plan to bolster a beleaguered 7,000-strong AU force that has been unable to stop fighting between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia.

The violence has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million since 2003.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir agreed to the package in November but stalled acceptance of the first two phases and backtracked on allowing U.N. troops in Darfur until April. Earlier this month, the Sudanese government agreed to the hybrid force after receiving certain assurances.

Jones Parry told the Security Council on Tuesday that during meetings with council members earlier this month in Khartoum, al-Bashir and other top officials expressed "total unconditional acceptance" of the hybrid force. "We will hold him to what he told us," Jones Parry told The Associated Press.

Hedi Annabi, the assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping, briefed the Security Council Wednesday on preparations for the hybrid operation now that there is an agreement between the AU, U.N. and Sudan. He said a meeting for potential troop contributors will be held Friday.

Pressed later about published reports that al-Bashir has said Sudan wouldn't accept any Western troops in the hybrid force, Annabi told reporters: "We should all decide to have some hearing problems, because reacting to this or that statement may not be helpful."

"What we need to focus on now is implementation and deeds rather than words," he said.

The U.N. and AU have pledged to make every effort to find African troops for the force, but the agreement says if they can't do that, they will have to use personnel from other countries.

Annabi told reporters that council members want a precise timeline for deployment of the hybrid force, but he couldn't give them one "because a lot of factors are not in our hands." He said he hoped the force could be deployed within six months after the resolution is adopted.

"We do not control the speed at which troop contributors will make offers for the hybrid, or will be ready to deploy with the necessary equipment," he said.

The first phase of the U.N. plan was a "light support package" for the AU force that is being delivered. In April, Sudan agreed to the second phase, a "heavy support package," which will pave the way for the hybrid operation.

Annabi said the U.N. peacekeeping department has offers for everything it needs for the "heavy support package," which includes 3,000 U.N. troops, police and civilian personnel along with aircraft and other equipment. It is now trying to expedite their deployment.

When the "heavy support package" deploys, 2,200 U.N. military personnel and several hundred international police will join the 7,000 AU troops on the ground in Darfur, Annabi said.

That means for the hybrid force, about 15,000 additional people will be needed - 10,000 troops and 5,000 support units and other personnel, he said.