Arab bodies, Sudan slam ICC allegation against Sudanese president

Editor's Note:

Readers can research the real reasons behind the Sudanese civil war in Darfur by searching the relationship between Darfur and oil and uranium. They will find tens of thousands of articles written about the subject.

Basically oil companies in NATO countries and supporters of Israel have been leading the efforts to destabilize Sudan in order to control the oil and uranium there, particularly to dislodge the Chinese companies from the region.

President Omar Al-Bashir has not cooperated with the Zionist-Oil alliance, which explains these continuous campaigns against him and his government.

Where has this prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, been when Israeli war criminals, like Ariel Sharon, were killing Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims for the last sixty years, particularly since 2000?

Is he going to proescute Olmert, Barak, Natanyaho, and Peres next?

Or it's just a campaign to justify more invasions of countries which have oil and uranium?

======================

Luis Moreno Ocampo

Education: University of Buenos Aires, School of Law

Born: Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 4, 1952

Biography:

Assistant Prosecutor, 1983-1988. General Prosecutor, National Criminal Court of Appeals Criminal and Correctional Matters, focus on great number of public corruption cases and military cases, 1988-1992. Visiting Professor: Stanford University, 2003; Harvard University School of Law. Founder, NGO Poder Ciudadano. Member, Advisory Committee of Transparency International. Chief Prosecutor of the Court, Elected by Assembly of the States Parties of the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court, April 21, 2003.(Retired)

In 1992, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo established a private law firm, Moreno-Ocampo & Wortman Jofre

Arab bodies, Sudan slam ICC allegation against Sudanese president

www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-15 04:08:02

CAIRO, July 14 (Xinhua) --

Various Arab organizations and Sudan have criticized the call of an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur, while Arab foreign ministers are seeking to coordinate stance in this regard.

On Monday, the Interim Arab Parliament (IAP) criticized the ICC move to issue an arrest warrant against al-Bashir, saying it is a shame to see the ICC trying to prosecute a leader of an Arab country.

The IAP is "amazed and dismayed" by reports of the ICC move, which is stirring Arab nations' concern, head of the parliament Mohamed Jassem al-Saqr said in a statement.

The ICC move raises the fear that the international court could become a tool of major world powers to intimidate smaller countries, al-Saqr was quoted by the Egyptian MENA news agency as saying.

According to earlier reports, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday formally requested the arrest warrant against al-Bashir, charging him of war crimes, including genocide, in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Moreno-Ocampo said there were reasonable grounds to believe that al-Bashir bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"Al-Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity," the prosecutor claimed, adding members of the three groups were historically influential in Darfur and engaged in a rebellion for fear of marginalization.

The prosecution also charged al-Bashir with crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, extermination, forcible transfer of civilians, torture and rape.

It was the first time that the Hague-based ICC was asked to charge a sitting head of state, a move decried by Khartoum as undermining peace efforts in the region.

At the request of Sudan, the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) has agreed to hold an emergency foreign ministers' meeting on July 19 to coordinate Arab stance on the disputes between Sudan and the ICC.

The meeting will be held in response to the request by Sudan that was approved by Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya and the Palestinian National Authority, head of AL Secretary General Amr Moussa's office Hisham Yousef said Monday.

Samir Hosni, director of the Arab-African Cooperation Department of the pan-Arab bloc, said Monday that Moussa has been consulting with the Arab states for the preparation of the meeting.

Earlier on Sunday, the Arab Lawyers Union strongly slammed the ICC for its expected move to issue the arrest warrant against al-Bashir.

The ICC decision to charge al-Bashir with war crimes in Darfur is "a flagrant violation of international law, norms and human rights," the Arab Lawyers Union said in a statement.

The union also criticized the United States for its alleged role behind the ICC move, saying it's a U.S. decision to punish al-Bashir for "his firm stand in defense of Sudan's just causes."

The United States is in an attempt to drag the ICC into a fight against al-Bashir, which contradicts the aim of the international court, said the statement.

However, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday that the United States does not have anything to do with the ICC.

On Monday, the White House said that the United States will monitor the situation as the ICC prosecutor is seeking the arrest of al-Bashir on charges of war crimes.

"We urge all sides to remain calm. We will monitor the situation in The Hague and review what the prosecutor has requested, but we are not a part of the ICC," said U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

The ICC move also stirred widespread concerns and condemns in Sudan. The Sudanese government has reiterated that it does not recognize the ICC and would refuse any decision or memorandum delivered by the court.

Sudan is not a party to the Rome Treaty establishing the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal to try persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

But the UN Security Council decided in March 2005 to refer the Darfur situation to the ICC, a decision opposed by Sudan, which insisted on its own prosecution.

Sudan's Cabinet reiterated on Sunday that it does not recognize the ICC and will refuse any decision or memorandum delivered by the court.

According to Sudanese official news agency SUNA, Sudanese Council of the States on Monday strongly denounced at an extraordinary meeting of Committee of the Council's Affairs the ICC move to indict Sudan's senior officials.

In the same day, Sudanese Vice President Ali Othman Mohammed Taha told a press conference that the ICC move is a politically-motivated one against Sudan instead of a legal one.

Editor: Yan Liang

ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Sudanese president

www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-14 19:13:33

·ICC prosecutor sought the arrest of Sudan president, charging him of war crimes. ·The prosecutor said he had requested an arrest warrant. ·A pre-trial chamber of the court would now review the evidence provided by the prosecutor.

BRUSSELS, July 14 (Xinhua) --

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor sought on Monday the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, charging him of war crimes, including genocide, in Darfur.

ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said there were reasonable grounds to believe that al-Bashir bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The prosecution also charged al-Bashir with crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, extermination, forcible transfer of civilians, torture and rape.

A pre-trial chamber of the Hague-based court would now review the evidence provided by the prosecutor to decide whether to pursue the case and how to bring al-Bashir to court, which may take at least six weeks.

The prosecutor said he had requested an arrest warrant, in addition to seizure of al-Bashir's property and freeze of his assets.

It was the first time that the Hague-based ICC was asked to charge a sitting head of state, a move decried by Khartoum as undermining peace efforts in the region.

The Sudanese government reiterated on Sunday that it does not recognize the ICC and would refuse any decision or memorandum delivered by the court.

The ICC prosecutor has so far issued arrest warrants for two Sudanese suspects for their alleged commitment of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, namely the former Interior Minister and current Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad Harun anda former militia leader Ali Kushayb.

Both accused remain fugitives of the ICC with the Sudanese government refusing to recognize the court's jurisdiction over its own nationals.

But the UN Security Council decided in March 2005 to refer the Darfur situation to the ICC, a decision opposed by Sudan, which insisted on its own prosecution.

In an interview published Monday by the French newspaper Le Figaro, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "very worried" about the possible move by the ICC, adding it would have very serious consequences for peacekeeping operations.

Some Sudanese officials also warned the ICC move against its top officials could undermine attempt to end the conflict in Darfur.

Thousands of Sudanese, chanting slogans against the United States and the ICC, marched in Khartoum Sunday to show their anger at the move.

Sudanese officials said Khartoum would demand support from countries like Russia and African nations in the UN to foil the ICC move.

At the request of Sudan, the Arab League said Monday it would hold an emergency meeting on the disputes between Sudan and the ICC on Wednesday.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

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