Uganda urges Sudan to reconsider Bashir’s visit
July 15, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Sudanese government should reconsider a visit by president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to Kampala, a Ugandan official told lawmakers.
“The government is therefore diplomatically engaging the government of the Sudan with a view to ensuring that, while the invitation to President Bashir still stands, a possible diplomatic incident is avoided”.
Al-Bashir who faces an outstanding arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was invited by Kampala to take part in the Smart Partnership conference held later this month.
Uganda is one of 30 African countries that have ratified the Rome Statute making it legally obligated to arrest Bashir if present on its territory.
But the AU resolution adopted at the summit held in Libya earlier this month instructs its members who are party to the treaty not to cooperate with the ICC in apprehending Bashir.
Ugandan official have been making conflicting statements on the way they would react to Bashir arriving for the summit despite them extending the invitation to him.
Last week the Ugandan state minister for international relations, Henry Okello Oryem told the ‘Daily Monitor’ newspaper that Bashir will not be arrested if he attends the summit.
The next day the Ugandan foreign ministry issued a statement reiterating its commitment to the ICC and its obligations under the statute.
On Monday, Oryem held a joint press conference with the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in Kampala where the former suggested that there is a possibility that his government would execute the outstanding arrest warrant for Bashir if he visits.
“An arrest warrant for Bashir has been deposited at the office of the Solicitor General,” Oryem said.
“It’s up to [Inspector General of Police] Gen. Kale Kayihura to arrest him,” he added.
But yesterday the Ugandan government distanced itself from Oryem’s statements.
Sudan official news agency (SUNA) quoted Musievini as telling Bashir over the phone that Oryem’s statements do not reflect his government’s position.
The ‘New Vision’ Ugandan news portal cited James Mugume, the foreign ministry permanent secretary as saying that both presidents “spoke on how to solve this issue in a diplomatic manner”.
“The President was sorry that the media made it appear that Bashir would be arrested upon arrival in Kampala” Mugume added.
SUNA had also said that the Ugandan foreign minister Sam Kutesa delivered a letter to Bashir at the coastal Egyptian resort of Sharm Al-Sheik where both men are taking part in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.
The Ugandan website said the letter states that Uganda is committed to its obligations under the Rome Statute and to the Africa Union.
The website said that Uganda wants to wait for the outcome of the African Union (AU) panel on Darfur before deciding on the issue of Bashir.
Kutesa said that the remarks attributed to Oryem was a “media error” and that his country cannot allow for the arrest of its guests.
“Only dogs are the ones that bark at its guests” SUNA quoted Kutesa as saying.
The Ugandan official added that his country is committed to the African Union (AU) decision in Libya this month instructing its members who are have ratified the Rome Statute not to cooperate in apprehending the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir despite their legal obligations to do so.
On the same day Musievini’s press secretary, Tamale Mirundi told reporters that his boss would issue an official statement to give his stand on the ICC row.
The ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo who was on a two-day visit to Uganda met with Musievini yesterday.
The Daily Monitor interviewed the Inspector General of Ugandan Police Maj. Gen Kale Kayihura who said that he would only act if there was a “harmony” in the government position on Bashir.
“We do not have any instructions from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Attorney General [to arrest Bashir]. I am sure what [Okello Oryem] was saying is that it is ultimately the decision of the police to arrest,” he said.
Kayihura said that Bashir’s row is “complicated” but that he expected a “sovereign” and “rational” decision to be made.
Some Ugandan members of parliament said that the government has a legal obligation to arrest Bashir if he arrives.
“Uganda must stand by its international obligations,” said Steven Tashobya who chairs the parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee.
“We must be reliable partners and we cannot expect to tell other countries to arrest [LRA leader wanted by ICC] Joseph Kony and yet we cannot execute arrest warrants for another person indicted for war crimes,” he said according to ‘Daily Monitor’ website.
Another MP suggested that Bashir should not be asked to come to Uganda.
Lule Mawiya, who chairs the Ugandan House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, was critical of the government’s conflicting positions on the matter and accused Musumba of presenting an ambiguous statement.
“Are you saying you are inviting Gen. Bashir for arrest? Be clear in your statement so that we know exactly what Uganda is doing,” he said.
This week Sudan blasted Uganda’s earlier statements on being committed to the ICC Statute.
The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Ali Al-Sadiq told the independent Al-Sahafa newspaper that Uganda “must understand the dangerous consequence of the ICC involvement in Africa”.
Al-Sadiq, said that Uganda’s statements reflect “a fluctuating position” adding that Bashir has no plans to visit Kampala in the first place.
The Sudan Vision website also quoted the Sudanese diplomat as saying that the Ugandan regime should be reminded about their massacring of the Acholi people in Northern Uganda, before talking about justice.
Several Sudanese columnists pleased to Bashir not to travel to Uganda for the summit.
“Lots of Africans worship money and for money they would do anything…therefore Mr. president should not indulge in this adventure,” Kamal Hassan Bakheit editor in chief of the daily Al-Rayaam said.
Bakheit, who is also Al-Bashir’s nephew, accused Uganda of being a safe haven for foreign intelligence agents including Israeli ones saying they want to “ambush” Al-Bashir when he travels there.
(ST)