NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Thursday suggested the alliance could play a supporting role in the Sudanese region of Darfur, but stressed that neither the African Union nor the United Nations had asked it to do so. De Hoop Scheffer, in Britain for a round of talks with British ministers, said NATO troops could help train AU forces in the vast western region, and provide logistical support. Some 1,400 AU troops are monitoring a flimsy cease-fire between Sudanese government forces and two rebel factions. "NATO could give support, in command and control and logistical support, to an operation," de Hoop Scheffer told British Broadcasting Corp. radio, but stressed that the "question is not on the table."
