By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, Nov 3 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official on Monday praised Sudan for speeding up the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur but stopped short of saying it had done enough to win support over a war crimes probe.

The top U.S. diplomat for African, Jendayi Frazer, struck a rare positive note saying Khartoum had shown "energy" and more flexibility in getting international troops into Sudan's violent west.

But the United States still needed to see more action on the ground to resolve the five-year conflict, Frazer told reporters at the end of a two-day trip to Sudan.

Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government in Darfur in 2003, accusing it of neglect. Khartoum moved to crush the rebellion by mobilising mostly-Arab militias that have since been accused of murder, rape and other rights abuses.

In July, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of orchestrating genocide and other war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan has since stepped up diplomatic efforts to persuade members of the U.N. Security Council to use its powers to postpone the global court's action.

Frazer said the United States had seen "a certain energy" from Sudan since the ICC move.

"We have seen the government of Sudan providing more visas and showing more flexibility to support the deployment of peacekeepers."

Asked whether the increased cooperation was enough for the United States to support a postponement of the ICC case, she said Washington still wanted to see better humanitarian access in Darfur and serious talks to end the fighting.

"What we have always emphasised is that we need to see progress on the ground specifically to resolve the crisis which is why we have put an emphasis on a credible peace process."

There are currently just over 11,000 joint U.N./African Union peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur out of a promised force of 26,000.

Senior force officers have repeatedly complained that under-manning and a shortage of equipment have hampered their mission to keep the peace.

Sudan initially received much of the blame for the slow deployment, with UN officials accusing it of obstruction. But Sudan earlier this year relaxed a ban on non-African troops, allowing units from Thailand and Nepal. (Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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