PARIS (Reuters) - Chad's President Idriss Deby urged the European Union on Thursday to send a peacekeeping force to his country as quickly as possible.
The 27-nation EU suspended deployment of a 3,700-strongEUFOR mission to eastern Chad, meant to protect civilians froma spillover of violence from Darfur, when a column of rebelsstormed the capital on Saturday and tried to overthrow Deby.
"It would have helped us if EUFOR was already in place,"Deby told France's Europe 1 radio.
"We want to launch a solemn appeal to the European Union,and France...to make sure that this force is put in place asquickly as possible to lighten the load we are carrying."
He said looking after some 300,000 refugees and 170,000displaced Chadians was a burden on Chad's forces.
Deby said he had never lost control of his country afterthe rebel offensive in fighting which killed at least 100civilians at the weekend.
He again accused neighbouring Sudan of backing the rebeloffensive and said he feared Sudan would help the rebels launchanother attack. "It is not impossible because the internationalcommunity is saying nothing against Sudan," he said.
"Sudan has had a sort of green light to destabilize Chad,not just Chad but the whole region."
Sudan denies destabilising Chad and accuses Chad ofsupporting a five-year uprising in its remote Darfur region.
The European Commission said on Tuesday it was concernedviolence in Chad's capital could disrupt aid deliveries in theeast of the country.
It said deployment of the EU force, originally planned forlast Friday, was vital to keeping aid flowing.
Deby said France had provided the Chadian army withtraining but had not directly intervened in the fighting. Hesaid he was ready to pardon six French aid workers jailed foreight years for abducting children if France requested it.
The incident, involving the aid group "Zoe's Ark" whichsaid it had gone to Chad to help children orphaned in theconflict-torn Darfur region, aroused strong feelings last yearbut Deby said the situation had settled down.
"I am ready to pardon them," he said, but only "if thegovernment asks."
(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
