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Brown, Sarkozy unite on Darfur

Ramping up the pressure on Sudan, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have united to boost peace efforts in Darfur, warning Khartoum of sanctions if it got in the way.

In a comment piece published yesterday in the Times newspaper in Britain, the two also urged the international community to intensify its action on the territory.

"There is still a gap between the efforts pursued by the international community and the dramatic situation that remains on the ground," they wrote.

They said that only "a ceasefire, a peacekeeping force, economic reconstruction and the threat of sanctions that can bring a political solution to the region."

The pair vowed to "redouble our efforts to make further progress," noting that "the situation remains completely unacceptable."

Their article comes ahead of the deployment of a 26,000 UN-African Union (AU) force which was agreed by the UN Security Council last month after months of intense diplomatic activity to convince Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.

The full force, that is to replace a poorly-equipped AU contingent, is not expected to be on the ground before the middle of next year.

The UN has said that more than 200,000 people have died and more than 2million have been displaced by four years of conflict in Darfur.

Sarkozy and Brown wrote that French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Rama Yade and junior British Foreign Office Minister Lord Mark Malloch-Brown would soon visit Sudan, including Darfur.

The two men also called for a political settlement that would allow Darfur to participate in Sudanese national elections in 2009.

They wrote that if sufficient progress was not made on security in the region, a ceasefire, the political process and humanitarian access, sanctions would be on the table.

"We will work together for further sanctions against those who fail to fulfil their commitments, obstruct the political process or continue to violate the ceasefire," they wrote.

They also said more had to be done on economic reconstruction and about the broader problems in the region surrounding Darfur.

"The causes of conflict in Sudan are deep-rooted -- economic, environmental and political. Neither Britain nor France, nor the people of Sudan, can achieve a successful outcome alone," they said. "We need cooperation from all parties and engagement from the international community."
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