WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The United States and others will consider imposing a range of punitive measures against Sudan for its refusal to accept an international force into its Darfur region, the State Department said on Tuesday. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters the United States and other countries felt a growing impatience over what he called Sudan's "delaying tactics" toward allowing a joint African Union-United Nations force in Darfur. Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir sent a letter to the United Nations this month arguing in detail against U.N. plans to bolster under-financed African Union military monitors under an interim plan, known as the "heavy package.""To the extent that Sudan continues to frustrate implementation of this agreement, the U.S. and other members of the international community are going to have to think seriously about implementing additional measures to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur," said Casey. "It is clear our patience is limited," he added, when asked how long it would be before the United States and others acted. Casey declined to say what these measures would be but U.S. officials in the past have indicated they could include a range of financial measures against Sudan's government to put pressure on Khartoum to accept the hybrid force. In addition, Britain is pushing for a no-fly zone to be imposed in Darfur, a tactic Washington has also considered to ease the humanitarian crisis there. More than 200,000 people have been killed since 2003 in Darfur in what the United States says is the first genocide of this century. In addition, more than 2.5 million people have been forced from their homes in the violence. In his letter, Bashir said he wanted to restrict U.N. movements in Darfur, limit overflights or attack helicopters and would bar international police from government controlled zones and other areas.
