Posted on 04/11/2007 2:14:38 PM PDT by knighthawk
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Wednesday signalled he was looking for a diplomatic way out of a crisis with Chad that has seen the two neighbours threatening military action against each other.
The Sudanese government has accused the Chadian army of launching an attack on Monday that killed 17 of its soldiers.
Chad denied any such deliberate assault, but said its forces had clashed with Sudanese troops after crossing the border to pursue Sudanese-backed rebels it accused of launching raids.
While some Sudanese officials spoke of tough responses to any new Chadian "aggression", Bashir sounded a conciliatory note.
"We are hopeful that ... we will reach a rapprochement and understanding between the two countries," Bashir told a news conference after talks with his South African counterpart Thabo Mbeki in Khartoum.
Mbeki, who is promoting his country as a mediator in African affairs, has been contacting both countries in a bid to ease tensions, said Bashir.
Monday's attack has increased tension between the two oil-producing central African countries, whose ties have been marred by violence spilling over from Sudan's Darfur region.
N'Djamena accuses Sudan of supporting Chadian rebels based in Darfur, while Sudan's Janjaweed militias are raiding ever further into eastern Chad.
The United Nations said up to 400 people had been killed in Chad in cross-border attacks by Janjaweed 10 days ago and one U.N. official who visited the remote area described scenes as "apocalyptic".
Sudan's defence minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, accused Chad of allowing rebels to train on its territory and told parliament the country was prepared to take all measures to defend against aggression, state news agency SUNA reported.
Chad's government warned Sudan against taking military action, saying it would use all means to respond.
DIPLOMATIC FLURRY
The four-year war in Darfur, which has killed an estimated 200,000 people, has driven several hundred thousand refugees into Chad and prompted the United Nations to study a peacekeeping force for the country's lawless east.
The latest bloodshed comes amid intense diplomatic activity in Sudan aimed at easing the Darfur crisis.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due to arrive on Thursday and is expected to deliver a tough message from Washington.
Washington's special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday the White House would hold off for several weeks seeking new sanctions on Sudan.
Britain, which has been preparing a new resolution in the U.N. Security Council against Sudan, was also asked to wait a few weeks, the envoy said.
Natsios said U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon had asked for a delay to enable him to negotiate with Khartoum over peacekeepers.
Sam Ibok, head of the African Union team charged with implementing a peace agreement in Darfur, said the cross-border violence would only undermine humanitarian efforts.
"This has to end or we will just keep going around in circles," he told Reuters.
Unidentified gunmen attacked an African Union peacekeeper patrol in Darfur on Tuesday, killing one and injuring two. Gunmen killed five African Union peacekeepers near Sudan's border with Chad on April 1.
Sadig said Sudan's message was delivered to the Chadian ambassador on Tuesday and that Chad had summoned the Sudanese ambassador over the incident.
(additional reporting by Sue Pleming in Washington)
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