Sudan on Monday accused some foreign powers of sending wrong signals to Darfur rebels by pressing for a UN takeover of peacekeeping operation in the western Sudanese region.

Ali Kurti, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, made the accusation during a meeting with Jan Pronk, the UN envoy to Sudan, the official Sudanese News Agency reported.

"Those foreign powers are exerting pressure on the African Union (AU) in order to impose the choice of replacing the African peacekeeping forces in Darfur with international forces," Kurti said.

The official pointed out that the attempt had negative impact on the peace process by pushing the Darfur rebels to adopt

intransigent stands in the peace talks currently held in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

Khartoum has dismissed the UN takeover of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur as intervention in its internal affairs.

Pronk said that the UN was keen on prevalence of peace in Darfur.

He added that he had warned the danger of seeking to impose such an option on Sudan.

Meanwhile, Kurti and Pronk agreed on the importance of continuing to support the AU in performing its mission until a peaceful agreement was reached.

Source: Xinhua