Botswana president supports ICC warrant against Sudan’s Bashir

May 5, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The president of Botswana Ian Khama dissented from African Union (AU) position on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

The prosecutors at the Hague based court accused Bashir of masterminding a campaign to exterminate African tribes in Sudan’s Western region of Darfur.

The AU along with Arab and Islamic countries criticized the arrest warrant and called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to halt the indictment.

The independent Mmegi newspaper said that Khama made his stance during a meeting with visiting Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete last month.

Khama told Kikwete that his government supported the arrest warrant and suggested that the AU was taking wrong positions on other African issues.

“We however note with regret that Africa is lapsing into the dark days of coups and unconstitutional changes as was the case in Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Following the case submitted against Bashir last year the ICC deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda travelled to Botswana and met with its president Festus Mogae at the time.

It is understood that Mogae expressed support to the ICC move against Bashir.

Botswana ratified the ICC Statute in September 2000.

(ST)