Sudan’s Bashir reiterates rejection to hand over Darfur suspects
July 21, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese president, who faces indictment by the International Criminal Court, has reiterated today his rejection to hand over any Sudanese for trial outside the country.
This request came after Sudan’s refusal to hand over two Sudanese indicted in a first case by the court.
Omer Hassan al-Bashir on Monday repeated his opposition to try the state minister for humanitarians affairs Ahmed Haroun and a militia leader Ali Kushayb saying Sudan refuses “any interference in its internal affairs, any political blackmail and pressures.”
Speaking in a meeting with a delegation from the Arab Lawyers Union, Al-Bashir said “we will not kneel, will not surrender and will not hand over any Sudanese citizen to any foreign body.”
Amr Musa, the Secretary General of the Arab League discussed yesterday with the Sudanese president the possibility to hand over the two suspects in the first case, Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb to a regional tribunal with the participation of the ICC.
Musa who didn’t speak to the media about the position of the Sudanese leader said, it would be made public after the meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council where he had to attend it.
However, The African Union’s Peace and Security Council, after supporting the deferral of al-Bshir indictment, called today for the creation of a panel of distinguished Africans to come up with recommendations on how to address issues of accountability and reconciliation raised by Darfur conflict.
Al Bashir told the Arab lawyers that Sudan is capable to protect its territory and achievements. He further praised the support of the “free world and peace lovers” to the Sudan, calling on world organizations that “are looking for justice” to send their delegations to Gaza, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan “to see killing, torture, and humiliation” of the people in these countries.
The international court’s prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, accuses Bashir of orchestrating genocide that has killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through “slow death” and forced 2.5 million from their homes.
Sudanese officials exert efforts to persuade the UN Security Council to freeze any prosecution of Beshir for 12 months, renewable, warning that peace prospects would be severely undermined.
Besides, Russia and China, Sudan also seek to mobilise African, Arab Islamic leaders to block the possible indictment of al-Bashir.
The Russian Ambassadot to the United Nations said that Security Council may want to consider suspending any war crimes indictment of Sudan’s president. Vitaly Churkin was speaking following the AU call to suspension the indictment of al-Bashir through the 15-nation council.
“We should be very attentive to their appeals,” Churkin said, adding “If something of this sort is initiated, it’s at least worth considering.”
Nonetheless, the UN chief spokesperson Michele Montas told the reporters that the United Nations cannot interfere with the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor to seek the arrest of Sudan’s president for alleged genocide in Darfur.
“The position of the Secretary General is very clear,” Montas told a press briefing. “The ICC is an independent body. The secretariat of the United Nations cannot interfere nor be involved in anything that involves the ICC.”
(ST)