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Arab mini-Summit pledges to press for freezing Sudan president warrant

March 11, 2009 (RIYADH) — A four-way meeting of Arab leaders hosted by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday vowed to press for deferring the indictment Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, an Egyptian official said today.

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L-R), Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah meet in Riyadh March 11, 2009 (Reuters)
Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L-R), Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah meet in Riyadh March 11, 2009 (Reuters)
The mini-summit included Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The meeting aimed at defusing the growing tensions that erupted between the regional Arab states following the Israeli assault on Gaza strip.

The Egyptian presidential spokesperson Suleiman Awad said that the leaders “reviewed ways to support president Omer Al-Bashir regarding the arrest warrant for him issued by the ICC and confronting the crisis that affects the dignity of all Arabs and their sovereignty”.

Awad said that the four countries agreed on pressing the international community “through international organizations, Arab League to stop the implementation the decision involving the president of an important Arab state in the region”.

Last week the ICC judges issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture. The three-judge panel said it had insufficient grounds for genocide.

Most of the Arab states expressed concern over the indictment without directly criticizing the court and urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to invoke Article 16 of the Rome Statute that would suspend ICC proceedings against Bashir for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

The Egyptian official also said that a “unified Arab vision” has been formulated “to help the Sudanese president and our Sudanese brothers”.

Sudan does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC saying it has not ratified its founding treaty. The UNSC issued resolution 1593 under chapter VII in March 2005 referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC.

Last week Egypt called for a an international conference that brings key world and regional players to agree on a common vision to tackle issues facing Sudan particularly the Darfur crisis “in its security, political and humanitarian” aspects.

Sudan rejected the proposal saying it will “internationalize” the Darfur crisis.

(ST)

9 Comments

  • Augustino
    Augustino

    Arab mini-Summit pledges to press for freezing Sudan president warrant
    Dear leaders,
    May world be calling you foolish leaders for you have protecting your citizens enough and come for the support of stupid leader who does not know the important of his people.
    the coward president of Kwait who too join the fools does not recognised the important of this court yet Saddam Hussein was forced out of his country because of this recognition of human right.
    you the culprits leaders why don,t you talk to Basher when he was killing the innocent Darfurians before?.
    which one is important now between Basher who is going Just to a lawful house and the mass population whom just died innocently.
    Basher can stand in the court and defence himself but what about those who died and those who are still suffering now in his hand.
    Stop, stop ,stop,stop disturbing the right people by them are doing right things.
    Let me mind you that Basher was one time brother to Bin laden in his country until 1996 that was the time Bin ladden left sudan,He can easily join him tommorrow and turn to you as Bin Ladden is now doing by killing Arabs and not whites as you put it.
    shame on you Big silly leaders.
    Augustino

    Reply
  • Lual Garang De Lual
    Lual Garang De Lual

    Arab mini-Summit pledges to press for freezing Sudan president warrant
    I am disappointed at the way Arab countries or muslim nations deal with crisis in their region. It is now known that the worst place or the dangerous place around the world is in Islamic countries were violence is the order of the day. Did I hear that the asses of those EMIRS, SHEIKHS and KINGS gathering in Saudi Arabia to talk about how to help the indicted leader of Sudan, the so called their Muslim brother to escape the ICC. I am really stunt at the way they think, has anyone among them watch his Television and see the atrocities being committed in Darfur before coming to defend Mr. Bashire. I doubt that they have credible grounds to convince the UNSC given the way Sudan is chasing out non-governmental organizations in Darfur.

    Sudan government is doing different issues in defiant to the world body and their so call brothers are pressurizing the UNSC to deferred the arrest warrant. Arab leaders are really blind by their greedy and bad ideology of false brotherhood which is killing its civilian now and then in their respective countries. It is with deep sorrow that this writer felt very sorry that a fugitive is defended by the leaders of sovereign countries without addressing the atrocities committed by him. Deferring the arrest warrant for Al Bashire will further backfire the problems of Sudan at all because Al Bashire was the man incharge all these years and watch as things deteriorated and much worst he is suspected to be behind certain killings.

    Bravo!
    Bravo!ICC for your courage
    The people of Sudan are watching.

    Reply
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