UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for the quick deployment of an expanded international force to Sudan's violence-wracked Darfur region got immediate support from the United States - and an unexpected positive reaction from the Sudanese government.

Sudan's UN Ambassador Elfatih Mohammad Erwa told reporters late Wednesday that the government has no objection to increasing the African Union force in Darfur monitoring a rarely observed cease-fire signed in April. It currently has about 80 military observers, protected by just over 300 soldiers.

"The secretary-general is speaking about the monitoring, and increasing the forces for the monitoring. That's fine with us," he said. "Whether it is 300 or 3,000, if it helps, that's fine."

But Erwa said Sudan would oppose an international force with another mandate, for example to disarm militias or other groups because that could lead to military confrontations.

Annan did not say how large a force he wanted, but UN diplomats said a UN plan presented to the African Union called for about 3,000 peacekeepers.

The 53-nation African organisation, led by Nigeria, is expected to make a recommendation in the coming days, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

US Ambassador John Danforth said Washington's main concern is to get outsiders into Darfur as soon as possible.

"Call them monitors," he said. "The issue is getting a substantial number of people in there, and getting in there as quickly as possible ... (with) people who have credibility in the eyes of the people of Darfur."

Meanwhile, Sudanese officials and Darfur's rebel leaders began negotiations on the potentially explosive issue of disarmament at African Union peace talks here yesterday, after grudgingly agreeing on a plan to protect civilians.

As the conference entered its 11th day delegates were expecting a showdown over the demobilisation of the Darfur region's two opposition militias.

"We've started talks on the security issue. We will be talking about the simultaneous disarmament of the rebels and the Janjaweed, which has not been done," said Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs, Mohammad Yousuf.

Khartoum insists that the rebels must move their forces into cantonments ready for disarmament, while the government simultaneously disbands its proxy militia, the Janjaweed, which has been accused of large-scale atrocities.