Sudanese officials visit France for talks on ICC row

April 10, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan will send a high level delegation to France for talks on the row with the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a news report.

The London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoting French sources said that the delegation will arrive in ten days to discuss the Darfur crisis.

The delegation will consist of presidential assistant Nafi Nafi, presidential adviser Mustafa Ismail and Abdel-Basit Sanoosi chief of bilateral relations at the Sudanese foreign ministry.

The newspaper said that the delegation will meet the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, and Bruno Joubert.

Relations between the two countries are strained over the support of France to the ICC arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir issued last month.

Also France hosts the chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur who refuses to join peace talks until security is achieved on the ground.

Sudanese officials have sharpened their rhetoric against paris in the last few month.

Sudan has conducted extensive dialogue with the French since the ICC announcement of bringing a case against Bashir. France made suggestions that under certain conditions it may support a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution deferring Bashir’s indictment.

Among the conditions is prosecuting two individuals already accused by the ICC including a Sudanese minister and a militia leader. Furthermore they want Sudan to improve relations with its Chadian neighbor and pushing for peace in Darfur.

But Khartoum refused to implement any of the French conditions until a deferral resolution is adopted in the UNSC.

Other Western countries at the UNSC such as US appear to take a more hard line stance on the suspension making it unlikely that a conesus will be reached on the matter.

(ST)