By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - EU ministers will call on the United Nations next week to consider urgently a tightening of sanctions on Sudan and pledge funds to assist the conversion of an African Union peace force into a joint mission with the U.N.

The mission for the Darfur region needs 200 million euros ($260 million) for the transition and so far has only received a pledge of $41 million from Canada, an EU diplomat said.

"There are lots of countries, including EU countries and organisations, which say 'we might have this much, or that much' but so far nothing more has been pledged," he said.

Several EU states, including EU president Germany, were expected to announce pledges at a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27-nation EU on Monday, another diplomat said.

"The main point of the discussion will be where do we find the money and we hope for concrete results to ensure the future of this peace mission," the first diplomat said.

Diplomats said the EU would urge the Arab League to make good on pledges to support the mission and also hoped for contributions from the United States and Japan.

The AU mission has struggled to stem the rape, killing and pillage which have killed an estimated 200,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes in four years.

The West blames government-backed militia for the violence and Khartoum has so far refused to allow deployment of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers to join the 7,000 African Union troops.

Ministers would call again for cooperation by Sudan's government and make clear the EU believed the U.N. Security Council should give "urgent consideration" to further sanctions, the EU diplomats said.

"There will be an explicit call for urgent consideration of further measures by the Security Council," the second diplomat said.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said on Friday he understood Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir would reply very soon on U.N. troop support to the AU mission.

Solana told a news briefing at an EU defence ministers meeting in Wiesbaden he "hoped very much" the response would be positive.

Existing sanctions include an arms embargo and restrictions against individuals.

"There are things we can do to try to build on that, but I don't think people are talking about radically different approaches to that, although that might come later," the second diplomat said.

On Monday, the ministers will again condemn attacks on humanitarian staff and harassment of relief work and call on Sudanese authorities to remove obstacles to the work of U.N. agencies and aid groups.

Attacks on the AU and aid workers in the world's largest humanitarian operation in Darfur have largely gone unpunished.

(Additional reporting by Mark John in Wiesbaden)

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