Britain calls on UN Security Council to address Darfur ICC arrest warrants
By Wasil Ali
November 27, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) — A senior British official called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to address the issue of the outstanding arrest warrants against two Sudanese accused of war crimes in war ravaged region of Darfur.
The UNSC listened yesterday to two reports from the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno as well as U.N. special envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson.
The judges of the ICC issued their first arrest warrants for suspects accused of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region in early May.
The warrants were issued for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander, Ali Kushayb. Sudan has so far rejected handing over the two suspects.
Haroun has retained his position as a minister and was recently appointed as head of a committee investigating human rights complaints in Darfur, a move criticized by human right groups.
“It is frankly an insult to the UNSC that one of the indictees charged with crimes against humanity in Darfur has been appointed a minister in the Sudanese government” Sawers said.
The UK diplomat suggested that it may be time for the UNSC to act on the issue.
“I am concerned that when the prosecutor of the ICC reports to the UNSC next month, he will have little positive to say and we will have to address that” he added.
The remarks by the British official signals the first time that a UNSC member calls for action on the ICC arrest warrants since the prosecutor addressed the council last June.
The UNSC has been reluctant deal with the matter at a time when the primary focus of the world body is on the deployment of the 26,000 strong peacekeeping forces.
The ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has expressed frustration with the unwillingness of the UNSC to address the issue.
“World leaders must understand that if the justice component process is ignored crimes will continue and affect the humanitarian and security operation in Darfur.” Ocampo told reporters at the UN headquarters last September.
Ocampo will submit his semi-annual report to the UNSC during the first week of December. . He is expected to notify the council that Sudan is not cooperating per resolution 1593 referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC.
The Sudanese government has refused to hand over Haroun and Kushayb to the ICC. The ICC prosecutor said that he will inform the UN Security Council next December that the Sudanese government is not cooperating with his office as mandated by resolution 1593.
Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statue, but the UN Security Council triggered the provisions under the Statue that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security.
(ST)