Sudan president vows not extradite ‘a single cat’ to the ICC

December 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – The embattled Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir today says he will not accept any compromise aimed at handing over two Darfur war crimes suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“I swear to god I will not surrender even a single cat from Sudan because we can make a shoe out of its skin” Al-Bashir told a rally in the state of Sennar in Eastern Sudan.

The analogy used by the Sudanese head of state denotes that he will not give anything of any value to the Hague based court.

In April 2007 the ICC issued arrest warrants for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb in connection with Darfur war crimes. Sudan has refused to extradite any of the suspects.

In mid-July the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo submitted a new case against Al-Bashir containing counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Judges are still reviewing the case but a decision is expected in the coming weeks. Arab and African efforts to stall the indictment through the UN Security Council appear to have failed due to resistance from Western countries.

Earlier this month the French president Nicolas Sarkozy said that Al-Bashir has “days and not weeks” to change situation in war ravaged region of Darfur or will have to face the ICC.

A few days later the US President George Bush said that the Sudanese president “cannot escape accountability”.

But Al-Bashir brushed off the warnings by the two presidents and revealed offers made by some Western countries to suspend his indictment.

“They tell us that if we give them Haroun and Kushayb we will pardon the president…I swear to god that neither the US, UK or France will move a single hair in our skin” Al-Bashir said.

“We told them if they want to come after us come and try” he added.

If the ICC judges endorse charges against Al-Bashir the latter may end up becoming a prisoner in his own country since he faces the potential of being apprehended while travelling abroad.

Furthermore, European Union (EU) rules prohibit its officials from communicating with individuals indicted of war crimes.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) insists however that Al-Bashir will run for presidential elections in 2009.

(ST)