Bashir arrives in Libya, holds talks with Gadhafi

August 4, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir arrived in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, yesterday’s afternoon and held talks with Al-Gadhafi, official news agencies of both countries reported.

Upon arrival, Al-Bashir was received by the Secretary of the General People’s Committee of Libya, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoud and number of other officials, including members of the Sudanese Embassy in Tripoli.

Whereas Sudan’s news agency SUNA reported that the talks discussed “bilateral ties, ways of boosting the two country’s cooperation and issues of common concern”, Libya’s state news agency, Jana, said that the talks had focused on “ways of achieving peace and security in Darfur.”

Al-Bashir is expected stay in Libya for two days. Al-Bashir was in Libya last March when he attended an Arab summit.

Al-Bashir, who is under two arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur region, is accompanied by the Presidential Adviser, Mustafa Osman Ismail, the Minister of the Presidency Affairs, Bakri Hasan Salih, the head of the National Security and Intelligence Service, Mohamed Atta and State Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affair, Kamal Hassan Ali.

Sudan’s relations with Libya recently experienced a downturn over the latter’s sheltering of Darfur rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim. The officially undisclosed relation crisis culminated in Sudan’s decision to close its borders with Libya in July.

Khalil Ibrahim’s group, the Justice and Equality Movement, suspended its participation in Darfur peace talks in May. The peace talks in Doha are currently underway with the rebe Liberation and Justice Movement.

Libya has always wooed the support of AU countries for Al-Bashir in face of ICC charges. It has rallied the continental body to adopt a resolution instructing its members to ignore the ICC’s arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

(ST)