CANNES, France, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The leaders of Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic are likely to meet in France on Thursday for talks on Darfur, a source close to French President Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday. Conflict in the wartorn Sudanese province has spilled over into Sudan's eastern neighbours, heightening fears of instability spreading across central Africa. The source said the presidents of the three countries were likely to meet during a two-day summit of French and African leaders in Cannes which begins on Thursday. "A meeting on Darfur including the countries of the region is probable tomorrow afternoon on the sidelines of the Africa-France summit, where France would have the role of a facilitator, not a mediator," the source said. African Union chief John Kufuor was also likely to join the meeting between Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Chad's President Idriss Deby and Central African Republic President Francis Bozize. The U.N. Security Council has proposed sending peacekeepers to secure Darfur's border area, but U.N. officials say there must first be a peace to keep between government forces and armed rebels. Experts estimate 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in the four-year-old conflict in Sudan's vast western region.
