China Concerned by Sudan Arrest Plan, Considers Blocking Plan

[tekisui]

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday it was concerned about an International Criminal Court prosecutor's decision to seek an arrest warrant for Sudan's president on charges of genocide in the African country's war-torn Darfur region.

Monday's indictment marked the first time prosecutors at the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal have issued charges against a sitting head of state, though President Omar al-Bashir is unlikely to face trial any time soon.

"To the relevant moves of the ICC ... we express our concern. We hope the relevant moves are conducive to the stability of Sudan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular news conference.

Liu said China would continue to consult with other members of the U.N. Security Council about whether to block the International Criminal Court from issuing the arrest warrant, but said he "cannot speculate" what the results of the talks will be.

Sudan has denounced the indictment as a political stunt, and says it will ignore any arrest order. One Sudanese lawmaker said his government could no longer guarantee the safety of U.N. staff in the troubled region.

But Liu said Khartoum has all along said peacekeepers in Darfur will be safe.

"We appreciate their attitude," he said.

The international court's prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo filed 10 charges against al-Bashir related to a campaign of extermination of three Darfur tribes that the U.N. says has claimed 300,000 lives and driven 2.5 million people from their homes. A three-judge panel was expected to take two to three months to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant.

Human rights groups have welcomed the prosecutor's move, but cautioned it could provoke a violent backlash from Sudan while offering little prospect that al-Bashir will be arrested and sent for trial at The Hague.

The court, which began work in 2002, has no enforcement arm and relies on governments to act as its police force.

link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gjJ7m2PjjixqiyNUC_NBMfE7WbowD91U68NG6


BOYCOTT THE TOTALITARIAN OLYMPICS!!

[JDPriestly]

1. Dictators of the World: Unite.

No surprise, Sudan's al-Bashir and the repressive Chinese Communist regime oppose the prosecutor's attempts to bring Bashir to justice. Meanwhile, Sudanese refugees are apparently dying in refugee camps. And, thanks to Bush, the U.S. does not have the moral authority to effectively support the prosecution effort.

[pampango]

2. "Sudan angered by genocide claims " - BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7506670.stm

"The president's most senior adviser, Dr Ghazi Salaheddin, told the BBC that his country did not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and would rally support among allies in an attempt to block proceedings.

Mr Salaheddin denied that the government of Sudan was blackmailing the international community by failing to provide security guarantees for peacekeepers and humanitarian staff.

The UN - which has no influence in the region - runs large-scale humanitarian operations in the region and has thousands of peacekeepers in Darfur as part of a joint mission with the African Union.

Speaking on behalf of the AU chairman, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said the ICC should suspend its decision on whether to seek Mr Bashir's arrest until problems in Darfur were resolved. The AU Commission expressed concern that "hard-won gains made in the search for peace and reconciliation in the Sudan" could be jeopardised. "
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Sure would like to see a list of those "hard-won gains" in Darfur.