Sudan slams UN deputy spokesperson for calling to arrest al-Bashir
March 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour Thursday has condemned statements by the Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq who urged foreign countries to hand over President Omer al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“And of course, we continue to call on all countries, including those who are parties to the Rome Statute, to abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute and under the resolutions of the Security Council,” said the deputy spokesperson.
Reacting to Haq, the Sudanese foreign minister said statements of UN spokesperson in which he requested the extradition of President al-Bashir to the ICC, is a “descent” requiring investigation “to rectify this deplorable situation.”
Ghandour further expressed hope that these statements “do not represent the secretary-general of the United Nations in any way”.
In statements to the press in Khartoum upon his return from the Arab summit on Thursday, Ghandour said Sudan would investigate through diplomatic channels and Sudan’s permanent mission in New York “to verify who was behind this statement and whether it was a unilateral statement by the person who made it.”
“The United Nations is an organisation composed of sovereign states including the Sudan, and the respect of its president who is elected by the Sudanese people is important and necessary,” said the Sudanese foreign minister.
He further said that the Hague-based court is not part of the UN system and a large number of countries are not a member of the court.
The criminal court is an independent judicial body with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
It has accused President Omer Hassan al-Bashir of genocide and crimes against humanity in his campaign to crush a rebellion in the western Sudan region of Darfur.
The court, which issued two arrest warrants against him, regretted the lack of cooperation from the UN Security Council and member states particularly the African and Arab states where al-Bashir managed to travel several times.
Ghandour said the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is particularly appreciative of President Al-Bashir and met him during the African Union summit last January, adding he sent recently him two letters on African issues including South Sudan.
He disclosed that the two men had to meet in Oman but the meeting didn’t take place due to the previous commitments of President al-Bashir during the one-day Arab summit.
(ST)