From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Apr 21 2009 - 15:48:28 EDT
Associated Press
Sudan leader in Ethiopia despite war crime warrant
By SAMSON HAILEYESUS , 04.21.09, 01:49 PM EDT
Omar al-Bashir, who appeared relaxed and smiling next to Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi, attempted to put a positive spin on the charges he may
face if arrested and tried by the International Criminal Court.
He also said he had had "constructive dialogue" with U.S. envoys sent to
Sudan, though he expected a harder line from the U.S. but be did not
specify what his expectations were.
"For us the ICC indictment was positive," al-Bashir said. "We have found
a very strong stance from regional organizations such as the Arab League
and the African Union."
The Arab League has rejected the indictment. The African Union, which is
based in Ethiopia, has said al-Bashir's arrest would dangerously imperil
the fragile peace process in Sudan and has asked the U.N. to defer the
warrant for one year.
Al-Bashir also repeated his criticisms of the 13 local and international
aid groups he expelled after the arrest warrant was issued. Sudan's
government accused the groups of spying for the ICC.
"To address the gap, we have expressed our readiness to receive new
partners," he said.
Meles, who did not say much during the brief news conference, said
Ethiopia would continue to treat Sudan as an ally and welcome its leader
to Ethiopia.
"Relations have not been affected," he said. "Sudan is a close
neighbor."
An Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman said al-Bashir would not face
arrest. He was in Ethiopia for a one-day visit to discuss routine
issues.
Since the ICC issued the arrest warrant on March 4, al-Bashir has
visited Eritrea, Egypt and Libya, attended an Arab League summit in
Qatar and performed a pilgrimage to Islam's holiest city, Mecca, in
Saudi Arabia. In March, the Arab League formally rejected the charges
against al-Bashir.
Many African countries have said they will not arrest al-Bashir. While
al-Bashir appears to have safe haven in Africa and Arab countries, other
nations have supported the arrest warrant.
The U.S., Britain and France have strongly opposed any deferral of the
warrant for his arrest. President Barack Obama in March denounced the
"genocide" in Darfur. But the U.S. has not recognized the ICC's
jurisdiction, citing fears that Americans would be unfairly prosecuted
for political reasons.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has said that al-Bashir should be
arrested once he leaves Sudanese airspace and that prosecutors are
monitoring al-Bashir's movements. However, the Hague-based court has no
police force to execute the warrant.
Al-Bashir's Arab-led government has been battling ethnic African rebels
in the region since 2003, and about 300,000 people have died in fighting
and 2.7 million displaced in the conflict, according to U.N. figures.
Sudan says the numbers are exaggerated.
Sudan's government expelled more than a dozen local and international
aid agencies after the arrest warrant.
_
Associated Press Writer Anita Powell contributed to this report from
Nairobi, Kenya.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/04/21/ap6318112.html
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