France says ceasefire is not enough to suspend ICC indictment

November 13, 2008 (PARIS) – French foreign ministry official said today that the offer of unilateral ceasefire pledged by the Sudanese president is not enough to persuade Paris to oppose his possible indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The embattled President Omer Al-Bashir, vowed yesterday to implement unilateral ceasefire in Darfur however he said it would be effective if a “monitoring mechanism is put into action and observed by all involved parties.”

“What we expect from the Sudanese authorities is an immediate and radical change of attitude on several points … and this ceasefire declaration does not represent such a change,” said French foreign ministry spokesperson, Eric Chevallier.

“For now, there is no reason to consider that our position has changed in any way … The question of an Article 16 suspension is not even on the agenda at this stage,” he told Reuters by telephone.

The ceasefire is one of the major demands that the SLM Chief, Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur wants government to implement in the region before to participate any talks. On the other hand, the Justice and Equality Movement says they would not observe any ceasefire till the last minute before the signing of a definitive peace deal.

Chevallier was speaking after a press statement by the European Union Presidency welcoming the announcement by the Sudanese president of a ceasefire unilaterally in Darfur.

The European presidency which is currently led by France, said would follow closely the effective implementation of this commitment.

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union called on all parties to cease violence and to engage actively in seeking a political solution to end the suffering of the people and establish lasting peace in Darfur and the region.

Sudanese officials had voiced hopes that the positions of France, Britain and the United States on the issue of Bashir’s possible indictment would soften after his announcement.

But the French foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters that Paris expected from Khartoum swift progress on a political process to resolve the Darfur war, of which there was no evidence, and a change of attitude on the issue of outstanding ICC warrants against two other Sudanese officials.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused Bashir in July of masterminding a campaign of genocide in Darfur. The ICC judges are considering whether to indict Bashir, based on Moreno-Ocampo’s case against him, and issue an arrest warrant.

(ST)