Arrest Warrant Draws Global Scorn,

Beshir Joins Mass Rally
Batoul Wehbe Readers Number : 191

05/03/2009 International, Arab and world outcry was sparked shortly after the International Criminal Court issued the arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir. This was considered a precedent against a sitting head of state by the Hague-based ICC.

Beshir defied the decision and Sudan has already said it would not cooperate with the ICC, while the Arab League said it was "very disturbed" by the warrant.

The Sudanese President, however, joined a mass rally in Khartoum on Thursday in protest at the international arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Darfur. He dismissed the warrant saying that "the true criminals are the leaders of the United States and Europe".

Beshir also accused the United States of committing genocide against "American Indians, at Hiroshima and in Vietnam." "One day we will take them to justice," added Beshir. He warned foreign diplomats not to interfere in Sudan's affairs, saying they risked relations with their countries being severed.

Thousands of people joined the mass demonstration in Khartoum's Martyrs Square shouting support for Sudan's veteran leader and denouncing ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

WARRANT THREATENS STABILITY IN SUDAN, UNGA CHIEF 'SORRY'

At the meantime, the African Union opened an emergency meeting over the arrest warrant on al-Beshir which it says will hurt an ailing peace process in the troubled country.

Sudan's envoy to the AU told the bloc's emergency meeting at its Addis Ababa headquarters that African states should pull out of the ICC. Mohieldin Ahmed Salim called on "friendly member states to withdraw from Rome Statute" that established the court. He urged the AU's Peace and Security Council meeting to "issue a clear decision in strongest terms to rejecting the ICC decision."

The 53-member body had called for the deferment of the court's action against Beshir and on Wednesday expressed concern at the decision to issue the warrant.

In a statement, the AU Commission chief Jean Ping said he was "deeply concerned at the far-reaching consequences of this decision, which comes at a critical juncture in the process to promote lasting peace...in the Sudan."

UN General Assembly president Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann said he was "sorry" an arrest warrant had been issued against Sudan's president, saying the move was politically-motivated. "I am sorry about this decision of the ICC and I think it's a more a decision motivated by political considerations than really for the sake of advancing the cause of justice in the world," he said.

Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Conference condemned the ICC's decision. The Secretary-General of the Jeddah-based organization Ekmeleddine Ihsanoglu said in a press statement late on Wednesday that such a decision might negatively impact ongoing efforts to solve the crisis in Darfur and could threaten stability in Sudan and the whole region.

He called on the UN Security Council to block the ICC's move and urged the Sudanese government to speed up investigations of war crime suspects and put them on trial.

However, China called for the ICC case against Beshir to be suspended and said it was concerned about an arrest warrant issued for him. "China expresses its regret and worry over the arrest warrant for the Sudan president by the ICC," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Qin called on the UN Security Council to "respect calls by the African Union, Arab League and Non-Aligned Movement... and call on the International Criminal Court not to hear this case for the time being." It has consistently warned that such an arrest warrant could cause further trouble in the war-torn African country. "China is opposed to any action that could interfere with the peaceful situation in Darfur and Sudan," he said in a statement on the foreign ministry's website.

For its part, Iran condemned the arrest warrant. Foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said the "unfair" warrant was politically motivated. The warrant is a "violation of authority that broke the immunity of countries' statesmen... and is an ugly innovation that is unacceptable for the international community," he was quoted as saying.

In addition to the huge condemnations against the warrant, law experts said Sudan's President is unlikely to see the inside of a courtroom soon.

The court has no powers to enforce the warrant itself, nor can it try Beshir in absentia.

Experts said the UN Security Council resolution that referred the case to the ICC for investigation in March 2005 placed no obligation on states other than Sudan to execute arrest warrants. By its own wording, the resolution merely "urges all states ... to cooperate". The resolution states that Sudan "shall cooperate fully" with the court. So, the legal aspect of this matter remains underdeveloped.

EMERGENCY PROTEST LONDON: HANDS OFF SUDAN

[Until the ICC starts indicting Zionists, it simply has no credibility.]

Please forward!

SUDAN SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

HANDS OFF SUDAN!
HANDS OFF AFRICA!

In 2003 and 2004, Darfur became the focus of an international crisis when rebel movements began a war in Darfur, in western Sudan. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and many more have been displaced. The three Darfur states, the size of France, lie in the largest African state, the Muslim country of Sudan. Darfur itself has a complex tribal, ethnic and linguistic composition, and the complexities of the conflict have been magnified by international and regional interests. The disinformation and confusion about Darfur has been exploited by those such as the American government which has actively sought to destabilise Sudan and its government.

Western media coverage of the Darfur crisis has been both simplistic and inaccurate. It is also true that the actions and policies of Western governments and “advocacy” groups such as “Save Darfur” and the Aegis Trust have artificially been prolonging the conflict.

In response to pressure from powerful and well-funded anti-Sudanese and anti-Muslim lobby groups within the United States, the Bush administration falsely alleged that genocide had taken place in Darfur, against all the evidence, the opinion of the United Nations and African Union, the testimony of well-respected humanitarian groups such as Medecins sans Frontieres and international statesmen such as former American president, Jimmy Carter.

The latest attack on the Sudanese people has been launched by the self-proclaimed International Criminal Court. While claiming to be international, the simple fact is that it not – more than half of the world’s population is outside of its jurisdiction: Russia, China, India and the United States amongst many other countries including Sudan are not members of the ICC. The ICC is not recognised by Sudan, which has not signed the treaty which sought to establish the ICC. The ICC has predictably turned out to be a political rather than legal entity serving Western interests in focusing only on the African continent. The ICC has indicted and issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on the basis of questionable allegations before an illegitimate court.

For all its claims to be the international court, the ICC is more accurately described as a European court – driven by Africa’s old colonial masters, Britain, France and Germany. For many Africans, the ICC is a new face for a neo-colonialism.

Sudan and Darfur Blog Entry List

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Friday, 6 March 2009