African leaders met Thursday to discuss bolstering the 7,000-strong African peacekeeping force in Sudan's Darfur region with U.N. troops, AP reported. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was at the African Union Peace and Security Council talks, which are being chaired by Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo. Al-Bashir is expected to hold a press conference after the closed-door meeting ends Thursday night, officials said. AU Darfur mediator Sam Ibok said African leaders would discuss an AU and UN proposal for a «hybrid» AU-UN force of between 17,000 and 20,000 soldiers. Sudan had portrayed a U.N. force as a throwback to the colonial era. A combined operation would be a compromise, but there are still questions as to how the AU and UN would share roles and responsibilities. The gathering will «take a decision on what happens after Dec. 31,» when the AU's peacekeeping mandate in Darfur expires, Ibok said. Al-Bashir has repeatedly rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution from August under which 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers would replace an overstretched, 7,000-strong African Union force. But he recently indicated a willingness to consider ways the U.N. could help the African force. Sudan's foreign affairs minister, Lam Akol, told SUNA that the government hoped the summit would give a clear mandate for African Union troops to serve another tour, and define the role of the U.N. in supporting the African Union.
