WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan will travel to Beijing next week to encourage Chinese officials to help ally Sudan to achieve peace in its volatile Darfur region, the State Department said on Friday. Andrew Natsios will travel to China's capital Jan. 8 to 12 to consult with senior Chinese officials and "encourage them to exercise their considerable influence on Sudan to achieve peace in Darfur," the statement said. China has emerged as a major supporter of Sudan, supplying it with everything from oil industry equipment to arms, and importing Sudanese oil. At least 200,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million have been driven from their homes in a conflict that has raged in Darfur since early 2003. "China's continued engagement in Sudan is important to ensure full implementation of the Addis Agreement, including the three-phase peacekeeping package," the statement said. The statement referred to a pact reached Nov. 16 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to renew peace talks. Earlier on Friday, the United Nations and the African Union announced a new push for peace talks in Darfur to get splinter rebel groups and the government to stop fighting. Sudan has refused to accept an international force in Darfur, as sought by the United Sates, and Beijing has resisted calls to authorize a U.N. peacekeeping force as long as Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir remains opposed.
