From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Nov 18 2009 - 07:31:58 EST
18 November 2009, Wednesday
Denmark invites Omar al-Bashir to climate meeting
Denmark has invited controversial Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who
caused tension between Turkey and the European Union following Turkey’s
declaration that it would not arrest him during his visit to the
Organization of the Islamic Conference’s (OIC) Standing Committee for
Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) meeting, to the Copenhagen
climate change summit to be held in December.
A list signed by Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen included the
names of 191 United Nations member countries invited to the climate change
summit in Copenhagen and included Sudanese President al-Bashir, who is
accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity due to alleged
state-backed attacks in Darfur over the last six years. Also among the
invitees are Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Burmese President Than
Shwe, both prohibited from entering any EU member country.
According to Danish Prime Ministry sources, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan has also been invited to the summit. The same sources
addressed the invitations of leaders who have no legal right to enter the EU
member countries. Stressing that the organizer is the United Nations, the
sources claimed that Denmark was forced to invite the leaders of all UN
member countries, including Sudan, Myanmar and Zimbabwe. Thomas Winkler, a
legal expert at the Danish Foreign Ministry, said heads of state and
government have immunity according to UN laws during summits under the aegis
of the UN. “We had to invite al-Bashir,” Winkler said.
However, observers believe al-Bashir will be arrested immediately upon
arrival in Denmark. The Sudanese president was invited to Turkey by the OIC
last week, but following Sudan’s strategic cooperation meeting with
neighboring Egypt, al-Bashir chose to not come to Turkey. The EU warned
Turkey to arrest the president; however, Turkey said it would not arrest
al-Bashir because the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) indictment of
al-Bashir is not binding on Turkey.
18 November 2009, Wednesday
HASAN CÜCÜK COPENHAGEN
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