African and Arab governments are expected to press the United Nations Security Council to defer the indictment of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on war crimes charges on the grounds that it could disrupt peace processes in the country.
The current president of the council, Japanese ambassador Yukio Takasu, confirmed to UN correspondents in New York on Wednesday that a meeting was being arranged between the council and a delegation from the African Union and the Arab League for Thursday.
He was commenting on reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has decided to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir. The ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, last July asked the court to order the arrest of Bashir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes arising out of the conflict in Darfur.
The prosecutor alleged that Sudanese armed forces and Darfur's Janjaweed militia had been acting on Bashir's orders during a five-year-long campaign of attacking and destroying villages in the region.
Reuters news agency and the New York Times have reported from the UN that the ICC has decided to issue the warrant. However, the court has made no announcement and Takasu said the Security Council had heard "nothing official yet."
Takasu added: "We have been getting a lot of news and indications... The prevailing view in the council is let's wait until it happens and deal it with when it comes."
Under the Rome Statute, which set up the court, the Security Council has the power to defer a prosecution for up to a year at a time.
Last month an Afro-Arab ministerial committee on Darfur, meeting in Doha to prepare for the Darfur peace talks currently being held in the city, called on the council to defer all the Darfur cases referred to the ICC with a view to creating conditions conducive to the talks.
The committee said there was "conformity between efforts to achieve peace and achieve justice" but resolved to assign "absolute importance to achieving peace."
In New York, Ambassador Takasu told correspondents yesterday that "it's easy to say that justice and peace have to... [be pursued] together... But how to apply this important principle, that we have to pursue peace but also justice at the same time... This is the crux of the matter."
Africa is currently represented on the Security Council by Burkina Faso, Libya and Uganda.
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Well.
Africa and the AU (- regardless of the reticence of the white man's client states of Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, ... - ) can be more forceful than that ..
For instance, what stance did the USA take when in the wake of the atrocities committed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, some among the EU countries moved to bring up indictments against Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, .. at the ICC?
Africa, you have the critical bargaining chip - your resources.
You are faced with a clear and present danger.
Africa, the danger inherent in your lack of cohesion and your inaction in the face of danger must be clear - especially with regard to the declaration of war on you by foreign plunderers in the virulent form of the imposition of economic sanctions that have devastated one of your members and caused the death of thousands of Africans.
Why aren't you pushing for indictments of the foreigners who have done that to you? [ Burt it is the foreigners' ICC. DO you see the light and the hoodwink?]
Africa, you have a backbone that has been demonstrated again and again in Cleopatra, Nzingha, Yaa Asantewa, Shaka, Lobengula, Nehanda, Lumumba, Nkrumah, Nasser, .....
Use it.
Use it for the survival of your people and the survival of the ancient civilizations of the African Child.
Use it - for our ancestors who were murdered and held in bondage by the multitude - so that you may live free on Mother Africa's bounteous savanna - today and your tomorrows.
" in the wake of the atrocities committed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, some ..moved to bring up indictments against Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, .. at the ICC? .."
Consider this,
1) The invasion of Iraq is considered to be a willful act of aggression - that even the UN deplored. Why is the UN NOT bringing up charges against those people mentioned above at the ICC? Why is the UN and its handlers in USA, and EU countries now so shrill about Bashir?
2) It is estimated that as a result of the west's murderous adventurism in Iraq, over a million INNOCENT people have been dislocated or slaughtered in that country - for nothing. Is that number less that what Bashir is accused of - or is there an element of racism expressed in all this?
3) Would Bashir be accused of rapes, tortures and murders that are any more heinous that what the west committed in Iraq?
This is the best thing that has happened in recent African Affairs. There has to be a first to bring to justice these killers who call themselves leaders.
A few more remain, like Mengistu/Meles/Isayas of Ethiopia, Kibeki of Kenya, Mugabe and a few more. Enough is enough and AllAfricans must unite against these killers and bring them to justice. No more Rwanda, end of story.
African
Wake up! Arab world is showing you love and care but they have their own AGENDA! Don't think that Arabs love african...they never did and they will never do! African,stop being naive! Justice is justice! Bashir kills africans in their own country ; Sudan is in Africa not in Middle East... Stop mixting issues, Bashir is a killer and negociation is not an option after 6 years of killing more than 300 000 african (black) in Darfur! African president are on Bashir's side because they know that most of them do the same in secret... God forgive them and Justice catch them!
I think that the UNSC must go ahead with indictement of of Bashir. The AU is a useless organizatin. It is a kind of presidents union and they defend and protect each other because many of them are also criminal. They never tell the thruth to each other. You can call it as you want new form of colonialism etc. but it his the the only way peple from africa can get rid of all these criminals we have as presidents members of government and in the armies.
If the UN did not put Charles taylor in Jail and tranfered him to the Hag for trial it would never be done by AU.
Africa still have a lot of criminals in power that need to be also tried and put in jail fro the rest of their life.
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