A joint United Nations-African Union force could be sent to Sudan’s strife-torn region by early 2008, but the Khartoum government says African soldiers can maintain peace in Darfur and there is no need for additional troops from outside Africa.

Until July, Sudan refused to accept non-African troops on its territory and tension continued to mount in Darfur. But Sudanese officials finally agreed to receive a joint UN-AU peacekeeping force with a “predominantly African character” and the international community said troops could reach Africa by October.

The process took another sudden turn on Friday when Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol said troops from other continents are not necessary.

“We don't need them... There are enough African troops for the operation, almost twice the number required,” Lam Akol said.

The diplomat said equipment and logistical support are welcomed, but supplementary personnel is not needed.

His opinion wasn’t shared by members of the international community, who said foreign troops are properly trained and equipped, in total contrast with the ones from African nations.

“Some of the non-African countries can make a very valuable contribution that would not violate the principle of a predominantly African force… We don't think Sudan has anything to be afraid of,” US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Friday during a UN meeting.

Negroponte said he is concerned by the sluggishness of the process and expressed his hope that troops will reach Darfur by next spring.

“Here we are 18 months after the signing of the Darfur peace agreement, and we are still at the initial phase of establishing security,” Negroponte said.

Clashes between Darfur rebel factions and Arab militias backed by the Sudanese government left behind at least 300,000 dead and thousands more displaced over the past four years.

Last year a peace deal was sealed, but it hasn’t been implemented until now and violence continues to ravage the territory in western Sudan.

Several rebel groups refused to adhere to this pact and the UN tries to bring them at the same table with Khartoum representatives in order to sort out their divergences and end the bloodshed.

After Friday’s meeting UN and AU envoys urged both sides to attend the conference scheduled to take place next month in Tripoli, Libya.

A 7,000-member AU force failed to quell the outburst of violence and the soldiers became targets themselves. Additional troops could be deployed until October, as Britain's secretary of state for Africa, Asia and the UN, Mark Malloch Brown said.

He said Nigeria and Rwanda vowed to send several units to the war-torn region in October, but the troops are not part of the hybrid UN-AU force.

Malloch-Brown said approximately 20,000 UN-AU servicemen could arrive in the African country by the beginning of next year.
Despite these setbacks, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the plan can move on because there aren’t serious disagreements.

“This issue should not be viewed as some difference on political issues… Technical issues (of composition) will be able to be resolved through technical discussions,” the South Korean diplomat said.