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AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely

July 1, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The African Union (AU) summit is unlikely to adopt a new position regarding the International Criminal Court (ICC) following its issuance of an arrest warrant earlier this year, its top official said today.

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir attends the opening of the African Union (AU) summit in Sirte, about 600km (370 miles) east of Tripoli, July 1, 2009 (Reuters)
Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir attends the opening of the African Union (AU) summit in Sirte, about 600km (370 miles) east of Tripoli, July 1, 2009 (Reuters)
The Chairperson of the Commission of the AU Jean Ping told reporters that the items on the agenda of the summit include the issue of “abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction”.

The phrase refers to the jurisdiction exercised by international courts under international law that bypasses local ones.

The Associated Press (AP) said that the item is believed to have been raised by the embattled Sudanese president who is attending the summit.

Ping told reporters that AU’s final statement would not adopt “dramatic or binding conclusions” for African members of the ICC.

However he said that African leaders “are tired are being the only ones targeted” by the ICC”.

Libya along with Sudan have lobbied its African peers to push for a mass withdrawal from the ICC in response to the arrest warrant. A conference of African ICC state parties held last month in Addis Ababa adjourned without an agreement.

The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi described the ICC as a “terrorist organization” following Bashir’s indictment.

Some African politicians including Ping accuse the court of unfairly targeting its statesmen while not looking at human rights abuses elsewhere.

The ICC is currently handling four cases consisting of Uganda, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Darfur.

With the exception of Darfur, all other cases have been referred voluntarily by their respective governments to the ICC for investigation.

The UNSC issued resolution 1593 under chapter VII in March 2005 referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC. At the time, Tanzania and Benin voted in support of the resolution while Algeria abstained.

It is likely that the AU will reaffirm its demand from prior summits that the UNSC use its powers to defer the warrant for 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

Some African officials have said that the UNSC is disrespecting the continent by ignoring this request.

This week the Egyptian foreign minister’s assistant for African affairs Mona Omar said that her government wants to focus on the issue of resolving the Darfur conflict and invoking Article 16 of the ICC statute.

However, she said that Cairo is committed to “combating impunity”.

(ST)

13 Comments

  • Lokorai
    Lokorai

    AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely
    Dear African leaders,

    Don’t succumb to USA pressure to allow one of your own to be humiliated; after all the charges are trumped up ones to remove a legitimate government of the African people.

    Tell the Americans to start sending Bush and others to the Hague not Al Bashir who acted within his jurisdiction to protect his people.

    Stand firm and never buy Koffi dream of becoming great when he hadn’t been one.

    Lokorai

    Reply
  • Father Critic
    Father Critic

    AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely
    I really proud of myself for I belong to Dinka community in one way or another .Bad luck to those who are not.I wished I were them I would have killed myself.Look at the way Equatorians defend omer yet they were the ones being mistreated by Arabs in Juba and Torit.Anyway I can not blame them for they just know how to eat and sleep.But the question is;for how long will they be with their Masters?Are they not tired of what had been done to them when the war broke out in 1983? Beautiful ladies were brought by the chiefs of Equatoria to be fucked by their masters Arabs.Dear barking dogs,What goes up comes down.

    Your parents’husband must face the music within these days.Kiir Mayardit Oyee!Kuol Manyang Oyee!Nhial Deng Oyee!
    Critic Ngueny from Bor town.

    Reply
  • Michael Malual Mawien
    Michael Malual Mawien

    AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely
    father Critic is right and correct in my own point of view. what he says is actually very meaningful word to me but to others who don’t believed in other people’s right they will start ingoring it and one has appeared now with his unreasonable comment. There is nowhere for you brother to find the Oxes and do it in the way you wish as you said. I think you have never understood what father critic was talking about, he was not talking of Equatorian alone. He was giving his advise to all tiny tribes in the south Sudan and including Dinka tribe.

    Reply
  • Ambago
    Ambago

    AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely
    The Sudan – ICC issue has come to be one of the money making topics to our African leaders who often find luxuries in the AU directionless talks. AU is currently nothing but a forum for lazy African brains.

    Last month it was in Addis Ababa that the issue of mass withdrawal from the ICC as tabled by Ghadafi and the Sudan’s Omer Al Bashir ended up miserably. No African country is in fact considering withdrawing from the Rome Statue, given the financial loss associated with such a move.

    It was only the Sudan that withdrew from the Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP)-European Union (EU), Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CA).

    The Sudanese move came as a result to the revised Agreement which incorporates the fight against impunity and promotion of criminal justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    “The parties shall seek to take steps towards ratifying and implementing the Rome Statute and related instruments,” the agreement reads.

    So you can imagine Omer al Bashir immediately standing before the ICC if Sudan has to remain as a member. However with the withdrawal Sudan may be denied access to approximately 300 million euro effective immediately, a large portion of which was to support the semi-autonomous Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

    Egypt says it wants the article 16 of the ICC statue invoked in order that the UNSC uses its powers to defer Al Bashir’s arrest warrant for 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely. However, Cairo’s official position remains committed to “combating impunity” and finding a peaceful solution to the Darfur Crises.

    Hence the truth remains that no poor African country would risk the millions of Euros that they get in return for the ratification of the Rome Statue just for the sake of a proven criminal like Al Bashir. This is it in black and white and whether you are even from the Wakulukulu, you just have this facts to understand and stop being irrelevant.

    Reply
  • Father Critic
    Father Critic

    AU top official says summit agreement over ICC-Sudan row unlikely
    To Hillary B.M.L.M (Porter).

    Let me inform you,Dinka is not a donkey on which anybody is free to take a joy ride.We know why we fought that was to restore the right and dignity of the Southerners including you people but you have against turned to be our enemies for unknown reason.I don,t like but I love Southern Sudan than you do.

    All of us excluding Logic Dogs are learned citizens of Southern Sudan but there is no need for singling out one tribe for no good reason.I would be very thankful if you tell Logic boy or dog to stop talking against my people.

    Anyway I can not insult you though you have insulted me.You are just like my younger brother.My being stupid is nothing because I know that I am not.

    The fact remain that if you fight change then it will fight you too.

    To Nobody,thank you for your advise but bear in mean that Equatorians listen through their eyes like deaf persons.

    Thank you too My dear brother Micheal Malual for your correction to those who don’t make out English language.Critic Ngueny from Bor town

    Reply
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