BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - European Union leaders stepped up calls on Friday for Sudan to allow international troops in to support African Union forces in Darfur, citing a "dire" humanitarian crisis amid fresh violence there. The call followed warnings from London and Washington that Sudan could face sanctions, including a no-fly zone over its vast west, if it did not agree to such a force soon. "(The EU) strongly urges the government of Sudan to give its unequivocal consent to the implementation of the U.N. support package for the AU mission in Sudan in its entirety," leaders said according to a draft communique from talks in Brussels. "Time is of the essence in a dire humanitarian situation," it added. The U.N. support package is due to gradually turn the AU mission into a hybrid U.N.-AU operation. Sudan has so far refused to allow an international force to go to Darfur to end three years of fighting that has killed over 200,000 people. U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios was en route to Brussels to discuss Darfur later with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Both NATO and the EU have provided logistical support for AU forces there, for example with training and air transport for troop rotations. But there is wariness within both bodies about any direct combat role for Western troops. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said his country would support a no-fly zone in Darfur as part of a sanctions package against Sudan if it continues to resist allowing an international force into Darfur. The United States is also considering such options if Sudan does not agree to a force by Jan. 1. Asked whether Natsios would ask NATO to enforce a no-fly zone in Darfur, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Thursday: "Not that I am aware of." An alliance source said de Hoop Scheffer would be "in listening mode" in his conversations with Natsios, who was in Sudan this past week. EU officials say any move towards a no-fly zone would first need a U.N. Security Council resolution. (additional reporting by Sue Pleming in Washington)
