Queen Noor of Jordan says Darfur crisis an ‘obscenity’

April 1, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The humanitarian situation resulting from the six years conflict in Darfur is an “obscenity”, the widow of the late Jordanian King Hussein said on Tuesday.

“Darfur is an obscenity. The sources of that conflict are very complex but what has happened, is happening to people on the ground is absolutely unacceptable by any norms” Queen Noor said in an interview with CNN.

Asked about support by Arab leaders at the annual summit in Qatar this week, Queen Noor said that “is a reflection of Arab concern over double standards”.

“Were there not so many cases where western pressure brought to bear on Arabs but Israel for example, disproportionate killings of civilians in Gaza during the recent [assault] and also in Lebanon in 2006 during the crisis there” she said.

“If those cases had not taken place with relatively without little western outcry you would find a very different attitude I think towards what is taking place in Sudan” Queen Noor added.

Arab leaders in Doha united firmly behind Sudan’s leader against the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last month for his alleged role in Darfur war crimes.

The Arab League resolution rejected the warrant and called on the court to annul it and urged its members not to cooperate with it.

The US-born Queen said “it is perverse what is taking place [support to Bashir]” but argued that it is a result of the perception of double standards in the region.

“Arabs see the United States which is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court holding Bashir responsible but turning a blind eye to gross human right violations in the occupied territories [Gaza and West Bank” she added.

Many people in the Middle East decry what they perceive as double standards in international justice where alleged war crimes by Israel against Lebanese or Palestinians, or by the United States in Iraq, go unpunished.

Jordan is one of the three Arab states who have ratified the ICC’s Rome Statute and its officials have said they will fulfill their obligations under the treaty despite endorsing the resolution this week.

During his speech at the Arab League summit, Jordan’s King Abdullah said that it is necessary to deal with the ICC “with the utmost sense of awareness and responsibility to ensure Sudan’s security, unity, independence and sovereignty”.

(ST)