News Article by KUNA posted on July 28, 2008 at 16:41:49: EST (-5 GMT)
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Interim Arab Parliament official urges concerted Arab diplomacy to assist Sudan over ICC issue KHARTOUM, July 28 (KUNA) -- Secretary general of the Interim Arab Parliament (IAP) Adnan Omran called on Monday for an Arab concerted diplomatic effort to support Sudan in its predicament with the International Criminal Court (ICC) whose prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity in Darfur. At a meeting of the IAP here today he described the prosecutor's accusations of al-Bashir as an affront to the sovereignty of Sudan and a transgression on the UN charter which holds sancrosanct the intergrity of a nation's government and its president. He further said that the meeting would study all the possiblities available to Sudan with which it can deal with ICC accusations, noting that Arab states should stand behind Sudan as a united front at this precarious juncture. Addressing the same meeting, Sudan's house speaker Ahmad al-Taher said that his country was being unfairly targeted by those who seek to forfeit its natural resources, noting that these forces want to see Sudan disintegrating politically, economically and otherwise. Moreover he took the opportunity to thank Arab lawmakers for showing their support to Sudan, urging all Arabs to guard against what he called international plots aimed at scuttling Arab unity and solidarity and undermining Arab culture. While the meeting today will discuss ways to deal with the ICC issue, the conferees will resume their discussions tomorrow when it is expected that they will issue a final statement. |