Judges Approve Warrant for Sudan’s President

[Bozita]

Source: NYTimes

February 12, 2009
Judges Approve Warrant for Sudan’s President

By MARLISE SIMONS and NEIL MacFARQUHAR


THE HAGUE — Judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, brushing aside diplomatic requests to allow more time for peace negotiations in the conflict-riddled Darfur region of his country, according to court lawyers and diplomats.

It is the first time the court has sought the detention of a sitting head of state, and it could further complicate the tense, international debate over how to solve the crisis in Darfur.

Ever since international prosecutors began seeking an arrest warrant last year, opponents have pressed the United Nations Security Council to use its power to suspend the proceedings. But a majority of Council members have argued that the case should go forward, saying Mr. Bashir has not done enough to stop the bloodshed to deserve a reprieve.

Many African and Arab nations counter that issuing a warrant for Mr. Bashir’s arrest could backfire, diminishing Sudan’s willingness to compromise for the sake of peace. Others, including some United Nations officials, worry that a warrant could inspire reprisal attacks against civilians, aid groups or the thousands of international peacekeepers deployed there.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/africa/12hague.html?ref=world

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Someday, ...

[Idealism]

1. I hope they can arrest this criminal swiftly without bloodshed

I fear that it will not be easy. Sudan is not a signatory to the ICC


Sudan dismisses Bashir arrest move
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/02/200921212312899942.html

Sudan's ambassador to the UN has vowed not to co-operate amid reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the country's president.

The ICC has "decided it wants arrested", an unnamed diplomat at the UN was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have evidence that al-Bashir had committed war crimes in the country's conflict-ridden Darfur region, the New York Times newspaper has reported.

But Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, Sudan's envoy to the UN, told Al Jazeera that even if there is an arrest warrant against al-Bashir "it means nothing to us".

[Left Coast2020]

Is Bush next to be called?

Just wondering.

[atreides1]

4. Not Going to Happen

First the UN will come up with sanctions which will hurt the people of Sudan and not have any affect on the government.

Second, now that his has nothing to lose those people in Darfur will suffer even more.

This was a great idea, right up there with the Edsel.

This man is not going to surrender and as long as he and his supporters control the military, all of this means absolutely nothing!

[Baby Snooks]

5. Security Council can refer a matter...

There is a provision that allows the Security Council to refer a matter involving a non-signatory. Which apparently is what has happened here.

I suspect the end result will be expulsion of Sudan from the United Nations. Which of course means nothing.

[Chulanowa]

8. Well, it's nice that after more than a decade, they can smell the coffee.

Some massive violators have been waiting for sixty years to have their number called. Maybe Sudan traded its ticket number with Rhodesia back in the day.

[williesgirl]

2. Next up hopefully - Bush and Cheney and their cabal - rec'd

[Politicalboi]

3. See it can be done

This would be a better way to prosecute Bush/Cheney. Like my favorite cartoon The Simpson's when Homer ran for trash commissioner his motto was "Let someone else do it"

[Baby Snooks]

6. The Security Council can veto it...

And the United States of course would veto it. Which would make the matter even worse. It would be like admitting guilt but telling the world that the United States is above the law. Which sadly it appears that it is. There will be no Nuremberg. There will be no prosecution.

[Baby Snooks]

7. Some background on the ICC and Sudan....

http://miafarrow.org/

Scroll down. As long as Sudan has oil and gas the world will turn its back on the people of Darfur. Thanks to Mia Farrow the world at least has taken notice. But the reality is the reality.

You do have to wonder why we have not moved to "liberate" the people of Sudan as we "liberated" the people of Iraq. One reason may be China Oil. We mustn't upset China. It might retaliate by pulling all of its investments in the United States. And of course there are American investors in China Oil. The Bushes reportedly are among the investors.

Human rights violations do not matter when billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue are involved. We are guilty of the same in Myanmar. Chevron is making too much money for the United States to be concerned about human rights violations.

[Chulanowa]

9. "We" haven't liberated Sudan because "we" are the ones who made the problem.

Back when the British controlled the territory, there was supposed to be two states - an Arab northern state, and an African southern state. Both had their respective governments and bureaucracies set up, at least covering all the points before imperial administration began.

Then the British decided "Oh, by the way, we changed out mind, you're one single state now, we're taking all our money and all our people and leaving. Have fun!" and they did just that.

Arabs and Africans immediately began slapfighting to see who would be in charge. The British had preferred the Christian south - it's where they'd put all their money - but weren't willing to back it with arms or anything. The north, on hte other hand, got help from the USSR via Egypt, and "won" the country.

But the sudan crisis - just like the Kenyan conflicts, the Pakistani civil war, the Pakistan-India cold war, and hte current conflicts in both Iraq and Israel-Palestine, can all be traced back to the British, deliberately making powder kegs and lighting the fuses, so they could swoop in and collect the "liberated" profits of a stateless society that can't say no.

[Idealism]

10. The China deal for Sudanese oil wasn't inked until much after Iraq, I thought

If I remember correctly, the discovery of large oil reserves were recent.