UNITED NATIONS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is considering transferring his envoy in Iraq to Sudan, a post that has been vacant for nearly a year, diplomats said on Wednesday.

Among the leading candidates for the Sudan operation is Ashraf Qazi, the Pakistani diplomat now heading the U.N. mission in Iraq, which Ban wants to expand, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

Qazi may be replaced in Baghdad by Staffan de Mistura, who once served in southern Lebanon for the United Nations as well as the deputy representative in Iraq two years ago, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said last week.

The top post in Sudan has been empty since Dutchman Jan Pronk was told nearly a year ago to leave the country because of his outspoken criticism of Khartoum.

The U.N. Mission in Sudan, known as UNMIS, supervises the peacekeeping operation of some 10,000 personnel in southern Sudan but not the separate operation in Darfur.

Ban told a news conference on Tuesday he expected to announce a successor to Pronk in Sudan "a couple of days before my visit takes place to Sudan" next week.

"I've proposed a nomination of special representative of the secretary-general to Sudan and the announcement will come out very soon," Ban said.

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