AU troops likely to stay in Darfur: US

Excerpt from AFP report (via ST):

"We're in very close contact with the AU," [US] spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"They are going to have to make some crucial decisions about their force in Darfur," he told reporters.

"We are confident that there will not be a vacuum, one way or the other, in Darfur, that there will be an international force presence there," he said.

"There are a number of different ways to come at this. In terms of the AU, I'm not going to get into the various diplomatic options at this point, but we're in close touch with them.

"And the AU doesn't want to see a vacuum there.

"They realize the importance of this mission."