KHARTOUM, April 13 (Reuters) - Sudanese officials working to finalise a deal on U.N. support for the African Union mission in Darfur have recommended Khartoum permit the use of attack helicopters by AU troops, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"They have made a positive recommendation and it is now up to the leadership. The president must decide," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig told Reuters.

Khartoum's acceptance of the helicopters for Darfur peacekeepers would complete an interim plan to bolster 7,000 AU soldiers in western Sudan with additional equipment and some 3,000 U.N. personnel.

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