July 1, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir must face the charges brought against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a senior US official said today.
The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Bashir last March on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with crimes allegedly committed in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.
The prosecutor of the ICC Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected to submit an appeal for the inclusion of crime of genocide in the counts against Bashir, which the judges have refused to endorse citing insufficient evidence.
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said in an interview with All Africa website that the Obama administration is “engaging with the [Sudanese] government broadly to achieve important objectives”.
Carson said that the US is using its “diplomatic power” to come up with a solution to the problems facing Sudan despite the outstanding arrest warrant against its president.
The US administration came under fire from Darfur advocacy groups for what they view as a lenient approach in dealing with Khartoum despite pledges made by Obama during his presidential campaign for tougher action.
“There’s no question that we’re going to have to work with the government of Sudan. It is both a part of the problem and part of the solution,” the US official added.
However, Carson cautioned that Bashir would have to answer to the charges brought against him by the ICC.
“Notwithstanding all of this, an arrest warrant has been issued for Bashir by the ICC for war crimes in Darfur. He should do the right thing and face those charges,” he said.
Washington reacted cautiously to the ICC arrest warrant issued and a key U.S senator John Kerry told reporters in Khartoum in April that it has “complicated matters”.
The statements made today by the US official may anger Khartoum which has hailed a “new approach” by Washington that is “less hostile” than previous administrations.
The appointment of Carson last May received a warm welcome from Sudan, which views him more favorably than his predecessor Jendayi Frazer.
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حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية