(Corrects to 12,000 displaced not killed in penultimate paragraph)
* President says Sudan is a top U.S. priority
* Obama administration watching referendum closely
*
By Alister Bull
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, who has pushed Sudan over an upcoming referendum and the crisis in Darfur, has written to leaders in the region stressing U.S. commitment to a peaceful vote, the White House said on Sunday.
"President Obama has made it clear that Sudan is one of the administration&${esc.hash}39;s top priorities; we have a vision of hope, peace and prosperity for the people of Sudan," said White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer.
Confirming Obama had written to a number of leaders about the referendum and the situation in Darfur, Hammer said this was part of an ongoing diplomatic push to emphasize the importance that Washington places on a peaceful Sudan.
The letters were sent recently, Hammer said.
The Jan. 9 referendum on independence for south Sudan was promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended a civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the south, where most follow traditional beliefs and Christianity.
A successful southern referendum could bring a conclusion to one of Africa&${esc.hash}39;s most bitter conflicts, which has rumbled on since around the time of Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s independence in the 1950s.
"We have, and will continue to, put an enormous amount of effort towards ensuring that the referendum goes off on time, peacefully, and that the results are respected," Hammer said.
The White House last week condemned attacks on civilians in South Sudan which the southern ruling party, the Sudan People&${esc.hash}39;s Liberation Movement, blame on the north.
Southern leaders have accused President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his ruling northern National Congress Party of plotting to disrupt the vote to keep control of oil fields in the south.
On Sunday, Bashir said in a speech that the country would adopt an Islamic constitution if the south split away in the referendum. [ID:nHEA943496]
Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of atrocities in Darfur, but he dismisses the court as part of a Western plot. Fresh fighting in Darfur between rebels and Sudan&${esc.hash}39;s army have killed as many as 12,000 people, peacekeepers said on Sunday. [ID:nHEA763491]
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi received one of the letters, according to Libya&${esc.hash}39;s Jana state news agency.
(Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
