Arab Gulf states avoid mention of ICC’s upcoming decision on Sudan’s Bashir
March 1, 2009 (RIYADH) — The foreign ministers for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) today issued a statement hailing a recent accord between the Sudanese government and a Darfur rebel group calling for an end to the conflict in the war ravaged region.
The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Sudan the GCC statement lauded Qatari effort in bringing the warring Darfuri parties to the negotiation table expressing hope that it will be the beginning of political efforts to end the crisis.
In mid February Khartoum and Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a declaration of goodwill expressing their willingness to engage in peace process, three years following the rebel group’s rejection of the Abuja deal in May 2006.
The GCC statement however omitted any reference to an imminent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on a war crimes case against president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
The ICC announced that the judges will make their ruling on Bashir’s case public the coming Wednesday.
The Omani foreign minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah speaking to reporters said that the GCC members want to see a “peaceful” resolution to the ICC indictment against Bashir.
He said the GCC supports Arab and African efforts in that regard “so that it does not become a precedent in dealing with Arab leaders”.
Bin Abdullah’s Qatari counterpart Hamad bin Jasim Al-Thani said that an arrest warrant for Bashir “reprsents an addition to problems in Darfur and will not help towards a resolution”.
Al-Thani also said that “pressure on Sudan will not resolve the Darfur crisis”.
Last December the GCC leaders issued a statement rejecting the “unbalanced” position of the ICC prosecutor and expressing solidarity with Sudan.
Despite pressure from the US and other Western countries Arab Gulf states have generally avoided making any public stances on the ravaging conflict in Darfur as they consider it an internal affair of another Arab country.
However two GCC members, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been of the few Arab countries to receive the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.
Qatar is leading mediation efforts into the Darfur conflict and have hosted the talks between the Sudanese government and JEM.
UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.
(ST)