Kampala — The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has said he is working out a comprehensive operation to arrest indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and LRA leader Joseph Kony.

"The court process can wait but the victims can't. If you arrest these people you have a deterrent effect hence stopping impunity. We are discussing an arrest operation that can go well with careful planning and execution," he said.

Responding to the ability of the ICC to follow up with the arrest of those it has indicted, Ocampo brushed aside public criticism, saying: "It is only a matter of time that Sudan president Omar Al Bashir and LRA's Joseph Kony will be arrested".

"The arrest warrants have isolated Bashir, a development that paves way for his arrest," he said.

Ocampo was addressing a press conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala yesterday.

He, however, lamented that the delayed capture of indictees has caused the cost of impunity to rise, citing the example of the LRA rebels who have killed 2,000 people and displaced over 300,000 others in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

"We are proud that the work of the court forced Kony to leave his safe haven in Southern Sudan.

"But even after the warrants were given, he continues to kill, maim and displace. We will need another avenue to get him," he said.

He commended Uganda and the Central African Republic for the political will to arrest Kony.

Asked whether the ICC would revoke the arrest warrant on Vincent Otti since he was killed, Ocampo replied; "We don't have complete information that he was killed. The authority to cancel the warrant lies with the judges after they are convinced that he died."

On how effective would isolating Bashir be, Ocampo said not all Islamic countries would welcome Bashir, citing Turkey.

He said the DR Congo has expressed solidarity in arresting Kony, like they have done with four other wanted criminals, except John Bosco Ntaganda, who allegedly committed crimes with Thomas Lubanga in Ituri province.

Ocampo also said investigations of the 2007 Kenyan post-election violence is progressing well and that charges will be brought against some Kenyan leaders by the end of the year.

The conference, which will review the Rome Statute of the ICC, opened on Monday and will last until June 11.

The Kampala conference will assess the impact of the statute since its inception in 2002.

Over 2,000 representatives of states, non-governmental organisations and inter-governmental organisations are participating.

Addressing guests at a state banquet he hosted on Tuesday, President Museveni said the conference offered a chance for Uganda to share experiences with the victims of war.