TURIN, Italy, September 02, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon heads to Sudan on Monday to press for speedy deployment of a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur and a quickstart to new peace talks to end the four-year conflict. «I want to create the foundations of a lasting peace andsecurity,» Ban told reporters last week. «My goal is tolock in the progress we have made so far, to build on it sothat this terrible trauma may one day cease.» Ban has expressed deep concern at the recent escalation in violence that has led to hundreds of deaths in the last few weeks. Nonetheless, the secretary-general said he chose this timeto make the weeklong trip _ which will also include stopsin Chad and Libya _ because of the «historic opportunity»provided by the U.N. Security Council's adoption of aresolution on July 31 authorizing the 26,000-strong AfricanUnion-United Nations force. It will replace the beleaguered7,000-strong AU force now in Darfur by Dec. 31. Ban said deploying the force quickly will be «one of thelargest and most complex field operations the UnitedNations has ever undertaken» because of the harshenvironment and lack of water and communications _ and «itcannot succeed without the cooperation of the government ofSudan.» The secretary-general has been in Turin for a meeting withsenior U.N. staff and was scheduled to fly to Khartoum onMonday, the Associated Press reported.--MORE www.spa.gov.sa/479294