April 06, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be brought before a court of law, a senior Sudanese official said.

Sudan’s U.N. ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad

Sudan’s U.N. ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad told the daily Al-Rayaam that Luis Moreno-Ocampo “is jeopardizing the political settlement in Darfur”.

“He should be tried in court” Mohamad said.

The judges of the ICC issued their first arrest warrants for suspects accused of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region in early May.

The warrants were issued for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb. Sudan has so far rejected handing over the two suspects.

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) circulated a notice for the arrest of both suspects in mid-2007.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) which asked the ICC to investigate Darfur crimes under a Chapter VII mandate in resolution 1593 three years ago, appears reluctant to force Sudan’s compliance.

Ocampo has been meeting extensively with world officials to press them on the extradition of Haroun and Kushayb but has had little success so far.

Sudan’s UN envoy said that Ocampo is “politically bankrupt” and described him the “enemy number one of peace in Darfur”.

This is not the first time Mohamad issues public rebukes of Ocampo. His sharp criticism of the ICC prosecutor has taken a more personal nature during the course of the year.

Last May the Sudanese official demanded that the UN restricts Ocampo’s visits to New York to meet with officials in the world body as well as permanent representatives.

Mohamad said that Ocampo’s movements “are nothing but a ridiculous political play trying to provoke countries against Sudan”.

The prosecutor of the ICC will brief the UNSC in June on the status of investigations and Sudan’s cooperation. He has already informed the council of Sudan’s non-compliance last December.

Ocampo has expressed his frustration with lack of pressure on Sudan by world community to hand over suspects. He also revealed that he has been approached by a number of countries suggesting that he should try and indict “lower level perpetrators, easier to arrest than Ministers or powerful militia leaders”.

Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statue, but the UN Security Council triggered the provisions under the Statue that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security.

International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict. The Sudanese government says 9,000 people have been killed.

(ST)