NEW YORK (Reuters) - XO Communications Inc. offered $200 million in cash to certain Global Crossing Ltd. bondholders to encourage them to back its takeover offer for the bankrupt telephone company.

In making the latest $200 million overture, XO hopes to get the unsecured creditors to support its proposal rather than Global Crossing's exclusive agreement to sell a 61.5 percent majority stake to Singapore Technologies Telemedia, or STT.

XO, a telephone company based in Reston, Virginia, also has agreed to pay $495 million to Global Crossing's lenders, who hold $2.25 billion in secured bank debt. XO wants its proposal to be considered concurrently with the STT agreement, rather than Global Crossing getting a four-month extension on its exclusive deal with STT.

Global Crossing filed for bankruptcy-court protection from its creditors in January, 2002.