South Sudan president to visit Uganda

March 4, 2008 (KAMPALA) — Sudanese first Vice President and President of southern Sudan government will start a two-day visit to Kampala tomorrow.

Salva Kiir Mayadrit is expected to discuss the ongoing efforts by his government to bring peace in northern Uganda and the request of the LRA rebels that the ICC drops charges against their leader Joseph Kony.

Kampala has said it wants the UN Security Council (UNSC) to ask the court based in The Hague to defer its case against LRA leaders and the two sides have also agreed to set up special war crimes courts in Uganda.

But the UNSC has no authority to make such a request to the ICC since it did not refer the case to the world court, according to the Rome Statue which forms the basis to the court.

The Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chief Mediator of the Ugandan peace talks, Dr. Riek Machar told the two parties to reconvene in Juba on March 12, to put some final touches on implementation schedule of the Final Peace Agreement expected to be signed in Juba by both President Yoweri Museveni of the Republic of Uganda and Joseph Kony of LRA/M.

He said he would travel to Rikwangba Assembly Area at Sudan-Congo border accompanied by Ugandan religious leaders to consult with Joseph Kony to come to Juba for the signing.

According to the ICC, Kony now has allegedly dispatched representatives to try to meet with ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo Tuesday, a prospect his office immediately struck down.

“The Prosecutor would like to state that he has not and will not meet with any representative of the LRA,” it said in a statement.

The LRA overture comes amid brightening prospects of ending the insurgency in north Uganda, which has lasted for more than two decades, but the rebels say the ICC warrants are an obstacle to peace.

But even Kampala, a state party to the ICC, is not able to request suspension of arrest warrants according to the Rome Statue, even if it withdraws its ratification.

“A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from this Statute while it was a Party to the Statute, including any financial obligations which may have accrued. Its withdrawal shall not affect any cooperation with the Court in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings in relation to which the withdrawing State had a duty to cooperate and which were commenced prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective, nor shall it prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the Court prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective” the Rome Statue reads.

The ICC issued arrest warrants against five LRA leaders in July 2005 including Kony. The warrants were transmitted to the International Police Organization (INTERPOL). Two of the indicted including Dominic Ongwen and Kony’s deputy Vincent Otti were reported killed.

There has been some calls around the world to drop the arrest warrants for the sake of peace in Northern Uganda.

But the U.S. Embassy in Kampala issued a statement on July 2006 saying that “the United States respects Uganda’s decision on this matter, but that those who have committed atrocities during the Ugandan insurgency should be held accountable for their deeds” adding “Countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC are expected to cooperate in arresting ICC-indicted individuals; Uganda is a signatory to the Rome Statute but the United States is not.”

(ST)