Sudanese president to skip Museveni’s inauguration
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May 11, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir
has delegated one of his advisers to attend the swearing-in of his
Ugandan counterpart into a new term, the foreign ministry said on
Wednesday.
JPEG - 33.6 kb
Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir (Reuters)
Bashir was invited this week into the ceremony which is scheduled to
take place on Thursday drawing criticism from human right groups.
"Presidential adviser Ahmed Bilal will represent him," foreign
ministry spokesman Khaled Mussa told Agence France Presse (AFP),
adding that Bashir was unable to travel to Kampala "due to
precommitments".
The Sudanese leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court
(ICC) on charges of genocide and war crimes he allegedly masterminded
in Darfur. As a member of the ICC, Uganda has a legal obligation to
apprehend Bashir and turn him over to the court omce he visits.
"Inviting an international criminal suspect to Uganda not only betrays
the fight against impunity which Uganda has for long championed but
also betrays the concerns and interests of the Victims of the most
heinous crimes. Besides, inviting such an international criminal
suspect wanted by the ICC makes a mockery of the swearing in ceremony
which is supposed to be an historic event ushering in a democratic
process" said a statement by HURINET – Uganda and the Uganda Coalition
for the ICC.
"This action by Uganda portrays a systematic trend by some African
States that have failed to cooperate with the Court. Bashir has
recently visited Djibouti, Kenya and Chad. The ICC must nip in the bud
such practice by invoking Article 87(7) of the Rome Statute and
referring states like Djibouti and others to the Assembly of States
Parties. Failure to do so will only promote greater violations of the
Statute and this must be stopped".
Ugandan officials gave conflicting statements on whether Bashir
confirmed attendance but stressed that he was invited as a matter of
protocol. In the past Kampala would hand out invitations to Bashir
while at the same time affirming their commitment to the ICC causing
Bashir to stay away.
Earlier today, the head of ICC state parties reiterated the
obligations by members of the Hague tribunal.
“What is important from my perspective,” Ambassador Christian
Wenaweser told Voice of America (VOA), “is that a state party fully
cooperates with the court. If the president of Sudan does not attend
this event today, then we have no concern of cooperation,” he said.
“It will be difficult to not formally extend an invitation to any head
of state,” Wenaweser added. “But as long as that invitation is
accompanied by a message that that state also fulfills its obligation
under the Rome Statute, that is sufficient.”
In a related issue, France and UK deplored Djibouti’s decision to
receive Bashir last weekend despite being a state party. He was there
for the inauguration ceremony of president Ismail Omar Guelleh.
"I am disappointed that Djibouti hosted President Bashir of Sudan last
week in defiance of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for
war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide" said UK minister for
Africa Henry Bellingham in a statement.
"The British government expects the Government of Djibouti to stand by
its obligations under the Rome Statute, and as a UN member state. The
Government of Djibouti has committed itself to full cooperation with
the ICC, and I reiterate the importance that the British government
places on such commitments".
France on the other hand defended the presence of its international
cooperation minister alongside with Bashir in Djibouti’s event.
"The presence of Al-Bashir was not known in advance.....The Minister
for Cooperation had no contact with Al-Bashir" French Foreign Ministry
spokesman Bernard Valero said.
French officials said that they, and their partners, had "undertaken
steps" with Djibouti relative to that country’s obligations to arrest
Al-Bashir in line with the Rome Statute that founded the ICC.
"We expect the States that are party to the Rome statutes to respect
the decisions of the court," the French Foreign Ministry said.
"France resolutely supports the jurisdictional action of the Court and
is attached to the full respect of the Rome statute," it added.
(ST)
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