http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1069198.html
Last update - 22:55 06/03/2009
Iran, Hamas dispatch solidarity missions to Sudan president
By The Associated Press
Iran and the Palestinian militant group Hamas showed their support for
Sudan's president Friday, sending top officials to the Sudanese capital and
denouncing the international warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes in
Darfur.
Their visit came as the United Nations human rights group warned that
Sudan's expulsion of 13 aid organizations from Darfur could also constitute a
war crime. Sudan took the step in retaliation after the Netherlands-based
International Criminal Court issued a warrant against President Omar al-Bashir
on Wednesday
The expulsion raised fears of a humanitarian crisis in the large, arid
western region, where war has been raging for six years. Some 2.7 million
people have been forced from their homes, and many rely on aid groups for food,
water, shelter and medical care.
The government also ordered the closure of SUDO, the largest Sudanese
non-governmental aid organization operating in Darfur, said SUDO's head,
Ibrahim Mudawi. He said the order came late Thursday, accusing the group of
violations of the law, without providing specifics.
SUDO, with about 300 staffers, distributes food and drills water wells in
Darfur, as well as operates 13 clinic and provides psychological help, Mudawi
said. "We will take legal procedures against this decision," he said. "We are
worried [about our staff]. We don't know what they are going to do with them."
The ICC accuses al-Bashir of leading a counter-insurgency campaign
against Darfur rebels that included atrocities against civilians. Al-Bashir
denies the charges against him and his government refuses to cooperate with the
ICC, calling it part of a colonial conspiracy to destabilize Sudan.
Dozens of al-Bashir supporters marched in downtown Khartoum after Friday
prayers in support of the president. They waved banners, shouting: "With our
blood and soul, we defend you, al-Bashir." The small rally came after al-Bashir
joined thousands of supporters demonstrating in the capital on Thursday,
denouncing the warrant.
Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, arrived in Khartoum along with
Moussa Abu Marzouk, the No. 2 figure in Hamas' Damascus-based leadership.
Larijani told reporters at the airport that the ICC's arrest warrant is an
insult. Also in their delegation were Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud
al-Abrash and representatives from other Palestinian militant factions.
Iran and Hamas have been long time allies of Sudan's President Omar
al-Bashir, whose government is dominated by Muslim fundamentalists and military
officers.
A spokesman for the UN human rights office said Friday that the expulsion
of the groups may be a war crime and said officials at the agency were looking
into the issue.
"To knowingly and deliberately deprive such a huge group of civilians of
means to survive is a deplorable act," Rupert Colville said in Geneva.
"Humanitarian assistance has nothing to do with the ICC proceedings. To punish
civilians because of a decision by the ICC is a grievous dereliction of the
government's duty to protect its own people."
"This decision by the government could threaten the lives of thousands of
civilians, living in camps in Darfur and elsewhere," he added.
Asked about the comments, a senior Sudanese Foreign Ministry official,
Mutrif Siddique, said only, "Their campaign against us continues."
Siddique said the Sudanese humanitarian affairs ministry, which is
responsible for the work of aid agencies, is aware the expulsion of the
organizations will have an impact on people in Sudan.
"This ministry and authorities have made arrangements to avoid a food
shortage or a medical crisis," he said. "There will be a partial effect and
they
[authorities] will work to avoid any shortage."
Siddique claimed that major UN aid agencies were not affected by this
expulsion decision and stressed that hundreds of Sudanese NGO workers
remain and work in Darfur.
The U.S. State Department condemned the decision to expel the aid groups
and called on the Sudanese government to allow the groups to continue
operating.
"These organizations provide critical humanitarian assistance to millions
of Sudanese, and the forced departure of these organizations immediately and
seriously threatens the lives and well-being of displaced populations," said
spokesman Gordon Duguid.
The World Food Program questioned whether the remaining aid groups would
be able to fill the gap.
"We simply don't have the capacity to carry out the life saving work of
the NGOs," said the agency's spokeswoman in Geneva, Emilia Casella.
Under the Geneva Conventions it is illegal to intentionally starve people
to death by blocking their access to food. The rule applies to international
conflicts, but efforts have been made to incorporate it in customary
international humanitarian law, which would carry weight in courts.
Other UN agencies also expressed concern about the consequences of losing
their aid partners. The World Health Organization said it would tear a hole in
the body's disease monitoring efforts that could lead to outbreaks of
infectious diseases going unchecked.
"If they are not helping us do this very vital work, we may see the
emergence of infectious diseases," said WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib.
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