Sudan's foreign minister said on Tuesday Sudanese soldiers would fight back if foreign troops entered his country to quell ethnic violence in its western Darfur region, but said he hoped this would not happen. The United States Congress has branded the Darfur violence as genocide and both Washington and the European Union have threatened economic sanctions.
Britain and Australia have both said they might send troops as UN peacekeepers to the region.
"If we are attacked we will not sit silent, we will retaliate ... but we definitely hope we do not reach that situation," Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told a news conference during a visit to Turkey.
"We are not looking for confrontation and we hope we will not be pushed to that," he said.
Khartoum insists it is making progress over security and aid in Darfur, where rebels accuse the government of backing Arab militias known as Janjaweed in an ethnic cleansing campaign against black Africans.
Ismail blamed the rebels for the violence.
"Sudan never started this war ... But we admit the government is responsible for bringing back law and order, for disarming the militias and for arresting the Janjaweed."
The United Nations estimates some 30,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted last year and around 1.5 million people have been displaced.
The United States is expected to call a UN vote later this week on imposing sanctions against Khartoum, though it faces opposition from China, Pakistan and others.
Ismail, who earlier held talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, said Turkey - a candidate for EU membership - opposed sanctions against his government.