PARIS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - France is confident European Union countries will contribute at least 3,000 troops for a peacekeeping force in eastern Chad and Central African Republic, its defence minister and diplomats say. The U.N. Security Council authorised the EU force of troops and U.N. police to help protect civilians suffering from spillover violence from neighbouring Darfur. France has said it will provide roughly half the 3,000 troops needed, with the remainder due to come from EU states, and Defence Minister Herve Morin said he was confident sufficient pledges would be forthcoming. "We will manage to put together a force of at least 3,000 men that will be a force that represents Europe," Defence Minister Herve Morin told Reuters Television. The Security Council authorised up to 4,000 troops and 300 U.N. police. The conflict that flared in Sudan's western Darfur region four years ago after rebels took up arms against Khartoum has led to refugees being driven into neighbouring countries by attacks by pro-government militia. This has created havoc in Chad and the Central African Republic and played into existing conflicts there. Both the Chadian and the Sudanese governments are accused of having supported each other's rebels. According to U.N. figures there are some 400,000 Sudanese refugees and displaced Chadians in Chad and 200,000 displaced people in the Central African Republic. A French diplomat said roughly a dozen European countries had offered to send troops or equipment. The command of the EU force was due to go to a general from Ireland, which had offered 350 troops, the diplomat told reporters. Up to five other countries had offered 100-200 troops for the force, which would be deployed from early November. Germany would probably not send troops, but around 1,200 of the 1,500 non-French EU troops needed had been pledged so far, the diplomat said, adding some troops for the French contingent would be taken from the existing French military force in Chad. A senior French diplomat, however, said more equipment, such as planes, was needed for the force. "There are two Spanish planes. That's good but it's not enough," he said. Four Chadian rebel groups initialled a peace agreement with the government on Wednesday at talks in Libya, a Chadian official said, but the leader of the main faction said there were still many points left to resolve.
