African Union takes ICC case to UN Security Council

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 23, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – The African Union (AU) will next week submit its position on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the UN Security Council (UNSC), an Ethiopian official told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Dina Mufti, said an African delegation led by Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, will head to New York next week to the UN security council headquarters to submit a report that details the AU’s position on the ICC.

The AU delegation will deliver the position passed by African leaders during the extra ordinary session of AU heads of states and government held In Addis Ababa on 12 October.

In their declaration African leaders resolved that no serving African head of state is prosecuted before ICC or any international tribunal.

Mufti said although Africa denounces any criminal acts such as genocide or war crimes the continent has reservations on the legal procedures and ways of ICC’s treatment towards Africa.

With all its current eight cases from Africa, the ICC has been accused by African leaders of targeting the continent.

Last week, the ICC President said accusations by African leaders against the court were “regrettable” adding that African countries voluntarily referred their cases to the court.

“We never chased any African country, we didn’t do anything in this respect, they brought their own situation to us”, said judge Sang-Hyun Song.

(ST)