CAIRO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein on Sunday voiced his country's hope that Egyptian peacekeepers can play a strong role in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

    During the talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Hussein delivered a verbal message from Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Egypt's contribution to the UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the Egyptian state MENA news agency reported.

    Underlining the importance of the Egyptian peacekeepers in Darfur, al-Bashir also expressed Sudan's wish for the participation of Egyptian police units in the peacekeeping operation in the restive Sudanese region, the report said.

    Hussein appreciated Egypt's peacekeeping efforts, saying "Egypt's presence as part of the international hybrid force in Darfur is really important."

    Sudan expects the police units to be deployed in Darfur under UNAMID would be mostly Egyptian "because of the efficiency of the Egyptian policemen and their closeness to the Sudanese people," said the Sudanese minister.

    Egypt is one of the largest contributors to the hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur with about 1,200 soldiers and policemen currently on the ground.