U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday reiterated American call for Sudan to put an end to bloody conflict in Darfur, Sudan.

"The government of Sudan must understand that we're serious, when you deliver a message to them on behalf of our government, that we're earnest and serious about their necessity to step up and work with the international community," Bush told reporters after meeting with Andrew Natsios, his special envoy to Sudan.

Bush said a "credible and effective" international force is crucial to bringing peace to the region, adding "The United States is going to work with the international community to come up with a single plan on how to address this issue and save lives."

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution to deploy peacekeeping forces in the troubled Darfur region. However, the Sudanese government rejected the UN force, and last week expelled the UN's Sudan envoy, Jan Pronk.

The White House has urged Sudan to accept UN peacekeepers or will face "consequences."

Tens of thousands of people were reportedly killed and some two million displaced because of the armed conflicts in Darfur.

Source: Xinhua