2009-03-29 19:10:46  

    DOHA, March 29 (Xinhua) --

Secretary General of Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa said here Sunday that Arab countries have reached consensus on rejecting the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir.

    The Arab summit scheduled for March 30-31 in Doha will issue a statement on the rejection, Moussa was quoted by the Qatari al-Jazeera as saying.

    Earlier this month, Sudan's official news agency SUNA reported that both the Arab League and Qatar have rejected a request from the ICC to execute its arrest warrant against al-Bashir.

    Also Sunday, the Sudanese ambassador to Qatar said that the Sudanese state minister for foreign affairs Ali Karti has left Doha for home for consultation with the government, in order to realize al-Bashir' s attendance of the Arab League summit.

    On March 18, Moussa said the AL was “greatly disturbed” by the ICC decision, and that the pan-Arab body supports the sovereignty of Sudan.

    During a press conference held on Saturday evening after a close-door meeting of Arab foreign ministers, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani said that though the ministers did not adopt a proposal of Sudan to hold an emergency Arab summit to show solidarity with Sudan at the close-door meeting, they agreed to issue a statement in which they pledged that Arab leaders will visit Sudan in the near future.

    However, the Jordan Times quoted sources close to the meeting held on Saturday said the ministers differed on how to deal with the ICC's arrest warrant against al-Bashir.

    Ali Karti has expressed his country’s rejection of a proposal by a number of Arab officials to resort to the U.N. Security Council to use the Rome Statute of the ICC to delay the arrest for a year, calling on the Arab world to reject the arrest warrant completely.

Sudan's envoy: ICC's warrant for Sudanese president manifestation of neo-colonialism

2009-03-28 16:45:13  

    BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) --

The International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is a manifestation of neo-colonialism, which creates a dangerous precedent, Sudan's presidential envoy Awad Ahmed al-Jaz told Xinhua on Friday.

    The arrest warrant for al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, which was issued on March 4, "did not target the president himself but Sudan as a country that has made major achievement in the peace process on the African continent", the envoy, who is currently on a China tour, said in an interview with Xinhua.

    Sudan has ended a long-running north-south civil war, made significant progress on Darfur issue, and pooled its domestic resources for economic construction and the benefit of the Sudanese people, said the envoy.

    As a major country on the African continent, Sudan has also received a large number of African refugees, al-Jaz said.

    Some international groups have lost their credibility in the world, and thus they attempted to take advantage of the ICC arrest warrant for President al-Bashir to undermine the international reputation of Sudan and create chaos in the country and the African continent at large, the envoy said.

    He reaffirmed the Sudanese government's position on the issue, noting that Sudan is not a member of the ICC and therefore the arrest warrant means nothing to his country.

    However, the neo-colonialists want to take Sudan as an experimental field -- once Sudan accepts the charge, they would apply similar penalty to the leaders of other countries who they deemed as "unpopular", the Sudanese envoy said.

    For this reason, the Sudanese government has firmly rejected the ICC's decision at the very beginning. The Sudanese people have become more united, and the people in the rest of the world have also expressed their support for Sudan, al-Jaz said.

    With regard to whether President al-Bashir would attend the Arab leaders' annual summit in Qatar on Monday, the envoy said since the issue of the arrest warrant on March 4, the president has visited several neighboring countries, such as Eritrea, Egypt and Libya.

    The purpose of these visits is to boost the peace process, the envoy said, adding that President al-Bashir has also sent a message to the rest of the world that Sudan is an independent country, and its president will defy the ICC warrant to exercise his power normally.

    The Sudanese president will schedule his overseas trips on the basis of whether they are in the interest of Sudan and the Sudanese people, al-Jaz stressed.

    Referring to U.S. President Barak Obama's recent decision to send a special envoy to Sudan, al-Jaz said the Sudanese government welcomed the Obama administration's move if the envoy comes to develop the bilateral ties.

    But he warned that Khartoum would neither allow anyone to interfere in Sudan's internal affairs, nor succumb to orders from outside.

    The Sudanese government welcomed President Obama's plans to map out new policies toward the Arab and Islamic nations, and hoped to enhance the mutual understanding between the two sides.

    "We welcome any kind of cooperation based on equality, mutual respect and sincerity, so as to create favorable conditions for resolving problems," al-Jaz said.

    During his stay in China, the envoy has conveyed a message from President al-Bashir to his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, in which al-Bashir explained the Sudanese government's position on the ICC's decision and the recent expulsion of 13 non-government groups that operated in Sudan.

    The envoy said those groups have been engaged in activities incompatible with their identities, which are beyond their claimed mission of humanitarian assistance.

    He also praised the friendly ties with China, noting that the 50-year-old strategic relations between the two countries have been established and developed on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and have never been affected by the changes in regional and international situation.

    The envoy believed such relations will continue in the future, and the cooperation between both countries will also be deepened.

Editor: Wang Yan

OIC stresses solidarity with Sudan in spite of ICC decision

 2009-03-15 00:04:43  

    KHARTOUM, March 14 (Xinhua) --

The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) stressed on Saturday its solidarity with Sudan in spite of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

    This came in a press statement made by OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu following his meeting with the Sudanese president.

    Ihsanoglu said that the positions of his organization and the decisions it had been taken in addition to diplomatic efforts it had carried out were all in the interest of the Sudanese people.

    The OIC was a good framework and essential to overcome the Darfur crisis as the conflicting parties in the Darfur region were all Islamic parties, he said.

    The OIC chief said "on the international level, the organization will continue its contacts in the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations" to ease the impacts of the ICC decision.

    "The ambassadors of the organization's member states are doing a great deal of works both in New York and Geneva" for the same purpose, he noted.

    Meanwhile, the state-run SUNA news agency reported that during the meeting, the Sudanese president expressed his appreciation of the OIC's clear position in sympathy with the issues of the Sudanese people.

    Al-Bashir also appreciated the OIC's position standing by Sudan in the recent developments following the issuance of the ICC decision, according to the report.

    The two sides also discussed the role of Islamic organizations in the relief works and humanitarian aspects in Darfur.

    Ihsanoglu was the third chief of a major regional organization to visit Khartoum and meet the Sudanese president since the ICC issued on March 4 the arrest warrant against the al-Bashir.

    Similar visits had been paid earlier by Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab league, and Jean Ping, commissioner of the African Union.

Editor: Yan

2009-03-13 01:24:09  

    KHARTOUM, March 12 (Xinhua) --

Sudan's legislative body on Thursday adopted a decision refusing to hand over any Sudanese citizen to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    It came at an emergency meeting of the Sudanese legislative body comprising the National Council (parliament) and the Council of States, which was presided by its chairman, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Taher, the state-run SUNA news agency reported.

    The decision called on all parties as well as regional and international sponsors of the peace process in Sudan to reject an ICC arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in compliance with their promises to advance the peace process and development in Sudan and to stand by Sudan in accordance with the principles of responsibility and justice.

    It appealed to the United Nations to assume its responsibilities in the full implementation of the UN Charter and to respect the rights of its members in accordance with the standards of equality and justice.

    The legislative body urged the UN not to allow the exploitation of its institutions and its documents or use them in a selective manner in order to take measures that are unjust and unfair against the right of any country.

    The decision accused The Hague-based ICC of sending wrong signals to the rebel movements in Sudan's western restive region of Darfur, which had hardened their positions towards the peace process.

    The Sudanese legislative body also stressed that a cohesive internal front was the real solution to eliminate any attempt targeting the northeast African country.

    Last week, ICC judges issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture.

    However, the three-judge panel dropped the genocide charge on the ground that the evidence put forward by the general prosecutor was not enough to support the accusation.

Editor: Yan

AU supports Sudan's rejection of ICC decision

2009-03-10 04:05:51  

    KHARTOUM, March 9 (Xinhua) --

The African Union (AU) reiterated on Monday its stance of supporting Sudan in rejecting the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    Sudanese Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie told reporters following his meeting with visiting AU Commissioner Jean Ping and AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramadan al-Amamra that Sudan would maintain continuous consultations with the AU, referring to the close relations with the commission.

    He appreciated AU's stance which was formulated by the African heads of state and government, pointing out that the visit of the AU delegation came in the context of the pan-African body's solidarity with Sudan concerning the ICC decision.

    Al-Amamra, on his part, said that the meeting was a good opportunity for consultations on issues of mutual concern.

    Jean Ping, who arrived in Khartoum earlier Monday, was the second chief of major regional organization to visit the Sudanese capital and meet with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir since the ICC issued on March 4 an arrest warrant against al-Bashir.

    A similar visit was paid on Saturday by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Sudan's president to attend Arab summit in defiance of ICC arrest warrant

2009-03-14 06:24:17  

    by Shao Jie, Chen Gongzheng

    KHARTOUM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government announced Saturday that President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), would attend two consecutive summits scheduled for late March in the Qatari capital of Doha.

    "President al-Bashir has received an invitation from Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and agreed to take part in the Doha Arab summit," Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti told reporters after a meeting between Bashir and a visiting special envoy of Qatari emir.

    Karti said the Sudanese president would also attend a summit of the Arab and South American countries to be hosted by Qatar in the wake of the Arab summit.

    Earlier in the day, Bashir met Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassem al-Thani, the Qatari minister of state and the personal envoy of the Qatari emir, who delivered a letter from the Qatari emir to the Sudanese president.

    Earlier in the week, oil-rich Gulf Arab Qatar said the Sudanese president would be welcomed if he represents his country at the Arab summit.

    "Qatar will send invitations to all Arab leaders, including the Sudanese president, to attend the Arab summit, and we welcome the presence of President al-Bashir at the summit," said Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani.

    The Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has said that the pan-Arab bloc expected Bashir's presence at the Doha summit.

    "We are expecting all Arab leaders to take part in the summit, so we expect that Bashir would participate in the meeting," Muscatel reporters last Saturday after a meeting with Bashir in Khartoum.

    The participation of Bashir in the upcoming Doha summits is expected to be the most important activity abroad for the Sudanese president after The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant against him on March 4.

    In the arrest warrant, the ICC judges charged the Sudanese president with seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but turned down three counts of genocide on the ground that the evidence provided by the prosecutor was insufficient to support the accusation.

    However, it is generally doubted how the arrest warrant will be carried out as the ICC has no police or other forces to directly implement its decisions.

    Bashir is the first incumbent head of state against whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant since it was established in July 2002. Sudan does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, saying it has not ratified the Rome Statute on which the court is based.

    The international peacekeepers already deployed in Sudan, including the UN Mission in Sudan and the UN-African Union hybrid operation in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, have no mandate to fulfill any ICC decision.

    Shortly after the issuance of the arrest warrant, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor in charge of the Bashir file, called on ICC members to arrest Bashir when he pays foreign visits.

    The London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted an anonymous Sudanese official as saying on Wednesday that the Sudanese president would continue to make foreign trips but his travel would be "subject to a selectivity process."

    Qatar, which is not a signatory to the Rome statute, has been sponsoring the joint Arab-African mediating efforts between the Sudanese government and rebel movements in Darfur.

    Last month, the Sudanese government struck a goodwill agreement in Doha with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, which has threatened to boycott the next round of peace talks in case that the Sudanese president was allowed to attend the Doha Arab summit.

    Meanwhile, Bashir also met Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu separately on Saturday, in a bid to fend off the ICC's maneuver and defuse the tension created by Sudan's move to expel 13 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

    Only one day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant against Bashir, the Sudanese government announced a sudden decision to expel 13 foreign NGOs accused by Khartoum of providing "false and fabricated information" to the ICC. The UN said the 13 NGOs aid some 4.7 million people in Darfur.

    Abul Gheit told a press conference held in Khartoum at the end of his visit that the Arab League (AL) has proposed an international conference to remove the current deadlock between Sudan and the ICC, saying "it remains an idea subject to negotiations." The proposal was reportedly turned down by Khartoum.

    Abul Gheit also expressed Egypt's confidence in the ability of Sudan to overcome the current crisis and prevent any gap of humanitarian assistance in Darfur after Khartoum expelled more than 10 foreign aid organizations.

    "We have received assurance from President al-Bashir that the Sudanese government has taken measures necessary to prevent any food gap or human health in Darfur," he said.

    The OIC chief Ihsanoglu said in a statement after his talks with Bashir that the OIC was a good framework to overcome the Darfur crisis as the conflicting parties in the Darfur region were all Islamic parties.

    "On the international level, the organization will continue its contacts in the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations," Ihsanoglu said.

    The two sides also discussed the role of Islamic organizations in the relief works and humanitarian aspects in Darfur, according to the state-run SUNA news agency.

Editor: Yan