Sudan says French official meets with president Bashir
April 30, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – An adviser to French president Nicolas Sarkozy met today with Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to follow up on the release of two abducted aid workers who were released this week in Darfur after being held hostage for 25 days.
The government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website reported that Sarkozy’s adviser for African affairs Bruno Joubert held talks with the embattled president at his residence.
The website said that Joubert “carried the gratitude of Sarkozy to president Bashir and his government on the substantial role and relentless efforts that led to the release of the hostages and securing their safety”.
Joubert was also quoted as saying that he hopes that bilateral relations between the two countries “develop in different areas”.
The Sudanese state minister for foreign affairs Ali Karti said Bashir affirmed to the French official that the “responsible role played by government authorities towards the guests is part of the customs and traditions of Sudanese people”.
Bashir faces an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with alleged war crimes committed in Darfur.
European Union (EU) rules prohibit any of its officials from meeting with an individual indicted by the ICC.
“The EU [European Union] rules are very clear. We have no dialogue and no cooperation with anyone indicted by the ICC; this is very clear” the French envoy at the United Nations (UN) Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters last year.
Last week EU diplomats boycotted the arrival of Bashir to Addis Ababa and also a state dinner hosted by Ethiopia’s president upon orders from their capitals.
Relations between France and Sudan are strained over a number of issues including the ICC, tension with neighboring Chad and recent expulsion of aid agencies as well as finding a political solution to the Darfur crisis.
This week the Sudanese presidential assistant Nafi Ali Nafi who returned from a visit to Paris said that officials there proposed an interim government led by Bashir after which he will stand down and not run for re-election.
However the French foreign ministry spokesperson today dismissed Nafi’s remarks saying that “No such proposal has been made”.
Sudan has conducted extensive dialogues with the French government over the last few months seeking to convince the latter of supporting an Article 16 resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to suspend the ICC arrest warrant against Bashir.
However French officials say that nothing has changed on the ground to prompt a deferral.
(ST)