Sudanese president canceled visit to Tanzania: reports

December 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has reportedly cancelled a trip he was planning to make to Tanzania last week.

Local newspapers in Khartoum said that Bashir was headed to Dar es Salaam on Friday December 9th for talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete on issues of mutual concern. He was to be accompanied by his foreign Minister Ali Karti, Defence Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein and minister of the presidency Bakri Hassan Saleh.

Tanzania along with Uganda has recently voted against Sudan’s bid to join the East African Community (EAC) citing concerns over Khartoum’s democratic practices and its treatment of women as well as geographic proximity.

Bashir was apparently planning to participate in the celebrations marking Tanzania’s 50th Independence Day which took place last Friday.

But the visit was called off last minute for coinciding with swearing in ceremony of new cabinet and was to be rescheduled.

This would have been the fifth country visited by the Sudanese leader that is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Bashir is the first sitting president indicted by the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.

Tanzania would have been legally obligated to arrest Bashir should he step foot in the country according to the court’s statute.

But Tanzanian officials in the past have said they will not honor the warrant in line with the African Union (AU) decisions ordering its members not to apprehend Bashir.

“Much as we don’t condone impunity, if pursuit for justice was in conflict with pursuit for peace, peace must prevail” Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Bernard Membe was quoted as saying last year.

Membe added that Bashir is a key player in the pursuit for peace in Sudan and that arresting him now would undermine peace efforts.

This week ICC judges reported Malawi and Chad to the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute for failing to arrest the Sudanese president when he visited.

The ruling issued by the judges faulted both countries for relying on the AU resolution stressing that only the Pre-Trial Chamber can make a determination that a country can be relieved of its obligations due to conflict with other treaties related to diplomatic immunity.

They also rejected any immunity for Bashir given his status as an individual wanted by an international court and referred to the case filed by the Congo against Belgium with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) more than a decade ago.

(ST)