webmaster
© Copyright DEHAI-Eritrea OnLine, 1993-2010
All rights reserved
From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Oct 28 2010 - 17:14:32 EDT
IGAD Summit Postponed Amid Controversy Surrounding Bashir Attendance
Michael Onyiego | Nairobi 28 October 2010
After intense pressure from the international community, the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development has postponed a summit originally
scheduled to be held Saturday in Nairobi. When the public learned Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir would be in attendance, civil society groups from
Kenya sent President Mwai Kibaki a letter demanding that Mr. Bashir not be
invited.
The pressure on Kenya was increased after the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the
International Criminal Court issued a ruling Monday asking Kenya to arrest
the Sudanese leader.
Late Wednesday, it was revealed that IGAD had moved the Summit to Ethiopia,
taking the pressure off of Kenya. But according to Kenyan Assistant
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Richard Onyonka, the meeting has now been
delayed indefinitely.
"The IGAD meeting has just been postponed because of the fact that Ethiopia
felt that they were not ready for it for the simple reason that they wanted
the meeting to be held in Kenya. It really does not have anything to do
with al-Bashir being arrested or not," he said.
Onyonka says the meeting was to be rescheduled, and would likely take place
in Kenya after all.
Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes,
crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in the Darfur region of
Sudan. He is the first sitting president to be indicted by the court.
This is not the first time Kenya has faced criticism for hosting Mr. Bashir.
In late August, Kenya stunned the international community by including the
Sudanese leader in a ceremony to promulgate its new constitution.
But according to Onyonka, including Bashir in the summit has more to do with
regional stability than international obligation.
"I do not believe that there would be a problem, in so far as the issue of
al Bashir," he said. "The general feeling within government is that the
meeting should be held so that we can continue engaging with the Sudanese
government - both the north and the south - with the basic agenda that the
referendum should be proceeded with and results should be accepted."
The ICC ruling also asks Kenya to clarify any conflict obligations that
would prevent them from arresting President Bashir by October 29. In the
past Kenya has stated it would follow the July African Union ruling that
discourages members from executing Mr. Bashir's arrest warrants. Onyonka
said Kenya would honor "whatever the ICC requires."
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----